


9 Months Isn't That Long

by Writing_Sux



Series: Human Sexuality [2]
Category: Lost Girl
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 05:37:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 66,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2536127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writing_Sux/pseuds/Writing_Sux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One shot collection that accompanies Human Sexuality. The five one shots in this story covers the 9 Months Bo and Lauren are separated. If you haven't read Human Sexuality you should because it'll reference stuff from that story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Happy Holidays

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first of five one shots that go with Human Sexuality. If you haven't read it then I recommend doing so or you'll just be reading fluffy garbage for nothing. Disclaimer: I do not own the characters they belong to the wonderful people of Lost Girl, Showcase, Prodigy, et al.

Lauren let out a quiet moan as she woke to a wonderful feeling that started between her legs and radiated throughout the rest of her body. The sensitive organs between her legs had an instant response to the attention she was receiving and Lauren put her hand underneath the blanket. Her fingertips touched Bo's silky hair and a lazy smile came across her face. She loved it when Bo woke her up like this. Lauren ran her fingers through Bo's hair and applied firm pressure to her scalp which caused Bo to moan. She let out a soft gasp as Bo's tongue swirled around her hardening clit. Lauren was barely awake but her body knew how to respond to the ministrations of Bo's tongue. When Bo buried a finger inside of her Lauren's lower back arched off the bed and she tightened the hold that she had on the back of Bo's head. Being caught off guard didn't give her anytime to try to take control of the orgasm that was building inside of her. And as Bo continued to fuck her into oblivion first the in the morning Lauren surrendered to the fact that her orgasm would be fast and intense. "Bo yes!" She hissed as the woman began to suck harder on her clit.

The closer she got to her orgasm the louder she became which caused Bo to interrupt her current task and throw the blanket from over her head so she could whisper, "Baby you've got to be quiet unless you want my mom to know what we're doing." Lauren bit her bottom lip and gave Bo a slight nod of her head. Bo grinned, "You're so sexy right now."

"Bo…"

"I know baby. I know." Bo said before her mouth went back to work on Lauren's throbbing clit. As soon as Bo's mouth was back on her Lauren moaned out and dug her nails into Bo's scalp. Bo sped up the pace of the two fingers that were now gliding in and out of her and that was all it took to send Lauren into a sensory overload as her orgasm overtook her. Lauren covered her face with a pillow to muffle the loud moans that were coming from her as she came. Every bit of her had come alive and as she came down from her orgasm she was greeted by a tender kiss from Bo. They shared a lazy good morning kiss that deepened when Lauren grasped the back of Bo's neck. Bo groaned then pulled back. She looked into Lauren's eyes then brushed away a strand of hair that was in her face and smiled, "Good morning beautiful."

Lauren could hardly suppress the smile that broke across her face, "Mornin." She pulled Bo back down for a quick kiss. She liked waking up to Bo. Sure this morning she woke up with Bo's head between her legs but most mornings she liked waking up to Bo's warm body lying next to hers and being able to cuddle up to her. Lauren let Bo move away from her, "What did I do to deserve that sort of a wakeup call?"

Bo smiled and said, "Nothing." She laid on her side and was holding her head up with her hand while the other one trailed up Lauren's arm, "I woke up and I saw you sleeping so peacefully and I thought to myself 'the love of my life needs sex this morning' so I gave you sex."

Lauren chuckled then glanced over Bo's shoulder at the clock before cuddling up to her. She gave the centre of her chest a kiss before murmuring, "Thank you for the sex but it's still early."

"Mom's going to make us breakfast and she'll be up soon. So it was either have sex before she woke up or have sex after then run the risk of her knocking on the door and ruining any chance you had at an orgasm." Bo kissed the top of her head then pointed out, "And you know you hate it when people interrupt us because you can't continue."

Lauren moved to where she could look Bo in the eye as she scowled, "Alex does it on purpose though. I swear she stands by our room door and waits for things to get really good then just when I'm about to come she interrupts us." Bo was pressing her lips together but Lauren could see the laughter in her eyes. She pushed Bo and as she fell back onto the bed she began to laugh. "You find it funny now but you won't when I withhold sex from you." Lauren turned onto her side so her back was to Bo.

She felt Bo scoot closer to her before her arm wrapped around Lauren's midsection. Bo placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder then said, "You've tried that and it didn't work out for you." Lauren smiled as she thought about her failed attempt to withhold sex from Bo. Finals had just finished and Bo had been doing the final grades for the semester so Lauren wanted to find out what her grade was but Bo had told her that she would see it when they were turned in. But Lauren wanted to know in that moment. Bo stood her ground and Lauren told her that she was going to withhold sex. There was quick end to that when Bo decided that she would be nothing but sweet to her and Lauren was easily susceptible to a sweet Bo. Especially when Bo was being understanding, sweet, and compassionate. That undid Lauren and she had to have Bo right away which resulted in them having sex in Bo's office on the main floor of the house.

Lauren turned onto her other side and glared at Bo, "I'm serious this time. You continuously find Alex's antics funny while I find them irritating and childish."

Bo took a deep breath and mumbled under her breath "And this conversation is childish and unnecessary." Lauren's glare turned into a scowl and Bo sighed, "I'm sorry Lauren. But you can't say you didn't know how Alex was when you agreed to her moving in. Have you talked to Piper about her?"

Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed, "She says she'll talk to her but she doesn't think to clearly when it comes to Alex."

Bo chuckled then leaned forward to kiss her forehead, "Of course she doesn't. Because what you don't like about Alex might be the very thing that Piper is crazy about."

Lauren let out an exasperated breath. Bo was going to rationalise the topic to death so she was going to let it go. "Are you prepared for the drive up to my parents lodge?"

Christmas was in a couple days and normally Lauren would spend the entire week with her family at the lodge but this year she and Bo spent a few days with Alex, Piper, and Bo's mom. Piper and Alex left yesterday to go home for Christmas. Today she, Bo, and Bo's mom, Aife, would be headed into the mountains. Bo chuckled and said, "Yes I am. Mom's excited to meet your parents. I'm excited for our first Christmas together and I can't wait until I give you your Christmas present. I think you'll like it."

Lauren sat up and grinned, "If you're that excited about it I think you should tell me."

Bo rolled her eyes in fake annoyance. She had bought Lauren's presents two weeks ago and Lauren continued to badger her about it because she liked the annoyed look on Bo's face. Bo sat up then gave her a quick kiss before saying, "I think you and I should get in the shower so we can get ready to leave." Lauren gave her a playful pout and Bo chuckled, "Oh you are pulling out the big guns." She leaned in then gave her bottom lip a gentle tug with her teeth before whispering, "I'm not telling you Lauren."

Lauren exhaled through her nose then got up and said, "Fine then let's go shower."

She started for the bathroom then she felt Bo come up behind her and wrap her arms around her waist before giving her neck a kiss. "You're too cute sometimes."

Lauren smiled and resigned to the fact that even though Bo wouldn't tell her what her Christmas presents were she still felt grateful to have the best gift in her life and that was the woman herself. Lauren turned around in Bo's embrace then she kissed her before saying in a quiet voice, "I love you Bo."

Bo rested her forehead on Lauren's and whispered, "I love you too Lauren."

They stood there for a moment holding each other as the weight of the emotions between them fell heavy on them. The intense emotions were familiar but at the same time they still held a certain newness to them that would sometimes overwhelm them both. There was a knock on the door and Bo smiled and muttered, "Told you she would be up soon." She then called out, "Yeah mom?"

"Just making sure you two are up considering Lauren wanted to get an early start." Her mom said through the closed door. Then she said, "I'll be downstairs making us a quick breakfast."

"Thank you Mrs. Dennis." Lauren shouted and Bo gave her a weird look. "Well she's making us breakfast." Bo still looked at her with a sceptical look and Lauren rolled her eyes, "Manners Bo. It's called manners. You might need to learn some."

Bo grinned as she remarked, "Oh I have plenty of manners. You want to find out?"

There was an underlying meaning to Bo's words and Lauren shook her head. They were going to be late leaving.

* * *

They were sitting in traffic in the SUV that Bo had rented for the next few days. Bo was driving and Lauren was sitting in the backseat while Aife occupied the passenger seat. It had been an argument and a half to get the woman to take the front seat but Lauren had won that one. "Okay so we're on thirteen down. Hm. All the clue says is loads."

"Jizz?"

Lauren covered her face with one hand, "Oh my god Bo…"

Afie eyed her daughter out the corner of her eye then remarked, "Clearly you have been in your profession for far too long."

Bo looked at Lauren in the rear view mirror then over at her mom, "What? Should I have said semen?" Lauren brought her other hand up to her face. She couldn't believe her girlfriend was using the words sperm and jizz in front of her mother. "I'm not understanding the dramatic response here."

Lauren uncovered her face, "You don't say those things around your mother."

Aife scoffed then said, "Aw you're so innocent sometimes." She turned around to look at Lauren, "Bo and I have always had an open discussion regarding anything sex related. How else do you think she became so comfortable at talking about it?"

Lauren shrugged then chuckled, "I don't know formal training?"

"She has her education but she wouldn't have pursued such a career path if we didn't have an open dialogue about sex." Aife explained before she turned back around and brought their focus back to the crossword puzzle, "It's a peculiar clue if you ask me."

There was a moment of silence and Bo looked back at Lauren in the rear view mirror and she had smirk on her face as Lauren sat their dumbfounded by what had happened. "And you didn't confirm if it was jizz or semen. So I'm assuming it's semen."

Aife put the puzzle book down in her lap and looked at Bo, "Dear I'm not certain what crosswords you've been doing lately but I'm a hundred percent certain that this puzzle book doesn't use terms such as 'jizz' and 'semen. Maybe after finish your book you can create a crossword book that does and you can use the terms as liberally as you would like."

"Or I can just put jizz in and not care about the damn clue." Bo countered with a grin on her face.

Aife let out an annoyed sigh then looked back at Lauren who was still amazed by the conversation between the two women in front. "How do you put up with her?" The woman smiled at Lauren, "What's the matter dear?"

Lauren chuckled and stated, "I've never had such a relationship with my mom where I was able to talk to her about anything sex related." Lauren laughed, "In fact we never had a sex talk. I sort of had to figure it out on my own."

Bo scoffed then remarked, "Go figure." She pointed at her mom, "See this is why there is bad sex and STDs."

Aife rolled her eyes and told her daughter, "Eyes on the road Bo." She looked back at Lauren, "Lauren, dear, Bo and I have had many years to get to this point. Plus she doesn't shut up about sex. I hope your parents are ready for that. In any case, you're still young and maybe one day you and your mother will get to that point." She smiled and added, "She'll have to if you and Bo plan to have kids."

Lauren gawked at the older woman and Bo shouted, "Mother!"

"Isabeau do not yell at me." Aife chided before she asked, "And what is wrong? Have you and Lauren not talked about your future together?"

Lauren sat in stunned silence. The conversation with Bo's mom seemed to have gone from worse to worst in a matter of minutes and it seemed to be in a complete tailspin. She and Bo were currently living in the now. The now didn't have any regard to the future because that would mean they would need to think about the upcoming months which included them being in a long distance relationship for nine months. And neither of them were ready for that. Anytime Bo would bring it up Lauren would get quiet and Bo would change the topic as fast as possible. Lauren got her bottle of water out of cup holder then took a sip from it. As she twisted the cap back on she said, "No we haven't."

"Lauren we don't have to do this." Bo glanced at her mom, "And my mother can mind her own business."

Aife held up her hands and acquiesced, "Okay. Okay. I've obviously-"

"Mom!" Bo exclaimed.

Aife picked up her puzzle book and got comfortable in her seat as she stated, "Okay. I won't talk for the remainder of the ride."

Bo looked at Lauren in the rear view mirror. She put a small smile on her face to let her know that she was okay. When Bo looked back at the road Lauren let her head rest against the headrest and closed her eyes. She wasn't okay. She was getting further from okay and closer to having a nervous breakdown as each day passed. She tried her best not to think about Bo leaving but sometimes when they were sitting in the living room or laying in bed together her mind would wander and she would think about what life would be like once February hit which would cause a small bout of crying. Lauren's emotions began to get the best of her and tears came to her eyes. She felt a gentle squeeze to her knee and she opened her eyes to find Bo's brown ones looking back at her in the mirror. It was the open concern in Bo's eyes that caused Lauren to lose control of her emotions. She began to silently cry and Bo said, "Mom you're going to have to drive. I'm going to pull over."

"No Bo I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Lauren said wiping at her eyes.

Bo manoeuvred the SUV so she could pull off into the emergency lane, "Don't tell me not to worry about it Lauren. I'm going to do nothing but worry about it."

She pulled into the breakdown lane then hopped out of the SUV and got in the back with Lauren. With no hesitation Bo pulled Lauren close to her and wrapped her arms around her. It was things like this that she was going to miss most. Bo dropping everything to make sure she was okay along with her reassuring presence. She was going to miss everything about Bo and the ache in her heart only got worse. Bo kissed the top of Lauren's head and murmured, "It's okay sweetie. I'm right here."

Lauren began to cry harder because she knew that wasn't the case and she wanted to point that out to Bo but she couldn't get a handle on her crying to do so. Lauren heard Aife ask, "Is she okay? Did I do something wrong?"

Bo sighed then kissed the top of Lauren's head again then said, "No mom. We….we need to talk." Bo rubbed Lauren's back, "Let's get back on the road."

Lauren felt the SUV move and she stayed in Bo's arms even after she had calmed down. She never wanted to be the type of person who was the clingy one in a relationship but here she was being the clingy one because her girlfriend, a woman whom she loved on a level that she couldn't even imagine, was going to be leaving her in almost two months. Lauren wanted to spend every moment in Bo's arms even though she knew that wasn't possible. But for the current moment she could. Bo was rubbing her back in a slow motion and Lauren took a deep breath before she sat up. Bo looked at her and Lauren couldn't look at her. Not at the moment. She barely had control of her emotions and seeing the care in Bo's eyes would make her lose it again. It was several minutes before she was able to look at Bo and she could see the unasked question in her eyes so she answered it, "To answer your first question: no. No I'm not alright. And that's the same answer to your second question. It's Christmas and I don't want to be miserable. And that's all that talking about it is going to do. So after this we're back in the now. And after Christmas we can talk about until we're both sick of the damn topic."

Bo nodded her head then asked, "Can I hold you?"

Lauren smiled and nodded before she moved back into Bo's arms. The rest of the drive was quite but there was a tension in the SUV that needed to be addressed however Lauren was adamant about not talking about Bo leaving. Their first Christmas together would be a happy one and nothing was going to ruin that for them.

* * *

They pulled up in front of the garage for the two story log cabin and Lauren climbed out of the passenger side of the SUV then smiled as she looked at the house. They had been coming to the lodge for the last five Christmases and she loved it up here. The mountain air was refreshing. It was quiet and she was surrounded by trees. It was peaceful. Lauren was savouring the serenity of the mountain atmosphere when her moment of happiness was ruined by her obnoxious older brother Matthew. "Lo-Lo!"

Lauren groaned as her brother ran over and enveloped her in a huge bear hug then lifted her up. Lauren shouted, "Matthew let me go."

He continued to crush her as he said, "Nuh-uh. I haven't seen you in what feels like years. How'd this semester go?" He put her down then asked, "Also your teacher? Dude…" He held up his hand, "Up top."

Lauren shook her head but she gave her brother a high five and said, "She's my girlfriend and this semester went great as usual. All As."

Lauren's mother stepped out onto the porch, "Mattie help Bo with their bags."

"Alright Mom." He shouted then walked around to the trunk of the car where Bo was and said, "You must be Bo-licious."

"Matthew!"

He laughed then told Lauren, "I'm just kidding Lo." He held out his hand for Bo to shake, "Matthew Lewis. Lauren's older brother."

Bo shook Matt's hand then introduced herself, "Bo Dennis. Currently doing Lauren."

"Bo!" Lauren exclaimed.

Matt held up his hand, "Up top."

Lauren watched her girlfriend give her brother a high five. She rubbed her forehead. This was going to be a long weekend. Her girlfriend appreciated inappropriate behaviour and her brother had it in spades. She smiled at Afie, "Let's go inside and have you meet my parents while those two bond."

She and Aife went inside and as soon as they got in her mother came over to give her a hug. "Merry Christmas sweetie. How are you?"

Lauren returned her mother's hug and said, "I'm doing fine mom. Mom meet Aife. This is Bo's mom."

The two women shook hands and Lauren's mother remarked, "I see where Bo gets her good looks from. May I offer you something to drink or eat?"

Aife smiled, "I would love a glass of white wine if you've got it."

"Oh we have it all." Lauren mumbled before she smiled, "Mom where's dad?"

Her mother pointed over to the living room, "He's getting the tree ready for us to decorate it. There's egg nog in there dear if you want to help yourself."

Lauren raised an eyebrow at her mom, "How much rum is in that egg nog mom?"

Her mom didn't say anything as she and Aife headed towards the kitchen. Bo and Matt came in with the bags and Matt asked, "Did mom ditch you for more booze?"

Lauren smiled and nodded, "Pretty much. What inappropriate questions did you ask my girlfriend?"

Matt dropped the bags in the entrance hall and in a nonchalant tone told her, "You know just the usual. How big is her dong, how many chicks has she banged and how well is she giving it to my sister. You know the normal getting to know you questions."

Lauren shook her head and sighed, "I'm going to say hi to dad." She looked at Bo, "Are you coming with me or are you going to hang out with my jackass brother?"

Bo gave her a sweet smile and told her, "As much as I would like to embarrass your brother I think I should say hello to your parents."

Matt scoffed and followed them into the living room, "The only reason yours is bigger is because you bought it."

Bo laughed and pointed out, "Oh so mine is bigger."

Lauren stopped walking and turned around to face them, "You two stop whatever this is because it's weird."

Bo chuckled then walked over to her to give her a kiss, "I will be on my best behaviour."

Matt held up his hand, "I will not and I will be sure to make this the most embarrassing Christmas this family has ever experienced."

"Not surprised considering last year you got stitches because you were drunk and fell off the roof." Lauren reminded him as they walked into the living room. She walked over to her dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Hi dad."

Her dad smiled at her, "Hi sweetie. Hey Bo." He looked around then wondered, "Did you guys have a good drive up? I thought Bo's mom was with you."

Bo chuckled and said, "We had an okay drive a little traffic. And she is but Mrs. Lewis took her in the kitchen."

Lauren's dad gave her a look and commented, "I'll be sure to lock up the wine in an hour."

"Sounds like a good idea." Lauren pointed at the ceiling and asked, "Do you know which room we are putting Bo's mom in?"

Matt held up his cup and told her, "We are putting her in the room across the hall from your room." He took a sip from his cup then whistled, "Mom sure did a number on this nog. Also the walls are thin in this house." Lauren narrowed her eyes at him and he grinned, "Just letting you know unless you want mom and dad to walk in on you again."

Lauren felt her face heat up as she recalled the most embarrassing moment of her life. She took Bo's hand and they walked out of the living room. Bo chuckled then wondered, "Where are we going?"

"Getting the hell away from my brother." Lauren told her as they walked out of the living room.

They were walking to the stairs when Aife and her mother came out the kitchen. The both of them were holding a glass of wine. Lauren's mother smiled and asked, "Where are you headed Lauren?"

She pointed up the stairs, "Giving Bo a tour mom."

Aife then commented, "If you two are gone longer than hour then we will leave you alone."

"But dinner is at six." Lauren's mom pointed out.

Aife smiled at her mom, "Dinner may be at six but having spent the last few days with these two they don't abide by time when they're alone."

Lauren looked at Bo and she noticed the blush on her cheeks which caused her to laugh. Lauren tugged on Bo's hand and told their moms, "We will be down for dinner." They climbed the stairs and when they got up to the second floor Lauren asked, "What's going on with you and my brother?"

Bo sighed and wrapped her arm around Lauren's waist, "Bonding sweetheart. Your brother is crass, unfiltered, and very inappropriate. He's also entertaining. If that's his way of getting to know me then I'm going to go along with it. But if it makes you feel weird then I will be uptight and give him condescending looks."

Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed out, "No Bo." She rested her head on her shoulder, "If you want to bond with Mattie by being inappropriate then go ahead but can you not do it in front of me? The dong comparing was a little unsettling."

Bo chuckled then kissed the side of her head, "He brought it up first. " Bo rubbed Lauren's upper arm, "It's beautiful up here. We should come up here sometime when we're not surrounded by our family."

Lauren smiled at Bo, "We should." They got to Lauren's room and as they walked in she said, "And this is my room." Bo walked over to the large picture window that had a great view of the mountain range and a field that was covered in snow. Lauren walked up behind her and she placed her hands on her hips, "It's so beautiful up here."

Bo smiled and agreed, "It really is."

Being in this setting with Bo and the look of happiness on her face stirred something inside of Lauren. She moved Bo's hair to the side and kissed the back of Bo's neck before whispering, "And you're absolutely stunning in the mountains."

Bo turned her head to look at Lauren but as soon as she had her head turned Lauren's lips were on hers and engaging her in a slow arousal inducing kiss. Lauren held Bo against her as the kiss progressed. Her hand that was on Bo's right hip moved to the front of her jeans at a slow speed. When her hand reached between Bo's legs she applied pressure to the area causing Bo to groan into her mouth which only added to Lauren's excitement. She gave Bo a few more teasing squeezes before she moved her hand and went back to the button on her jeans. She undid it and the zipper and without breaking the heated kiss she pulled down Bo's jeans so she could have full access to her. There were no teasing touches as she placed her hand between Bo's legs. She needed to touch her. It felt like she hadn't touched her in ages. Lauren's finger tips caressed Bo's wet outer lips and Bo stopped the kiss to let out a shuddering gasp. Lauren dragged her middle finger between the delicate flesh and coated the digit with Bo's wetness before easing it into the woman. Bo quietly moaned at the invasion then kissed Lauren as the finger moved in and out of her in short thrusts. The passion between them increased the longer Lauren fucked Bo and soon Lauren had Bo pressed against the cool glass of the window as two of her fingers stroked Bo's aroused muscles while her thumb teased her hard clit. Lauren lips grazed the shell of Bo's ear as she whispered, "Come for me Bo. Let me feel you come." She then took Bo's bottom lip between hers and sucked on it before they started to kiss. Lauren drove her fingers deeper touching the parts of Bo that would bring her to her eventual orgasm. And it was on a deep in stroke when Lauren felt Bo's muscles clench around her fingers and her head fell back against the window as she gasped through her climax. Lauren stayed inside Bo until she fully relaxed then she placed a delicate kiss on her lips which Bo returned. Bo buried her fingers in Lauren's hair then kissed her one more time before she pulled back and said in a low voice, "God you know how to undo me."

Lauren gave her a small smile, "Well you undo me all the same."

Bo kissed her again then wrapped her arms around Lauren. They stood there against window for a moment then Lauren heard Matthew's heavy footsteps in the hall and she jumped away from Bo exclaiming, "Shit. Pants up. Mattie's coming."

And just as soon as Bo had pulled up her pants Matt busted into the room and he got a sly grin on his face as he looked at them before saying, "Mom said to come get you two for dinner. We're in charge of table setup."

Lauren gave him a smile, "Sure thing Mattie. We'll be down in a second."

"Uh-huh sure you will be." He said with the grin still on his face.

He left Lauren's room and she looked at Bo, "We have got to stop giving my family opportunities to see us naked."

Bo raised an eyebrow and pointed out, "I was the pantsless one here." Lauren gave her a look of annoyance, "Okay. Not the point. Start locking doors."

Lauren chuckled and said, "Yes that is such a great idea when the both of us have a one-track mind when it comes to us having sex."

Bo gave her kiss and remarked, "Well you're irresistible and I can't keep my hands off of you."

Lauren reached around and she took hold of Bo's ass then nipped at her bottom lip before saying, "I can say the same thing about you Professor."

Bo pressed her lips together as she let out a low hum then said, "I forgot how sexy it is when you call me that."

Lauren leaned forward to where their lips were barely touching and she whispered, "Does it make you wet Bo?"

"Yes." Came Bo's breathless reply.

Lauren dragged the tip of her tongue slowly across Bo's bottom lip then asked, "What do you want me to do about it?" She knew they weren't going to make downstairs to setup for dinner. The sexual tension between them was coming back at a rapid speed and it was only a matter of seconds before they both would be giving into their sexual desires.

Bo swallowed thickly then whispered, "I want your mouth on me."

Lauren's hand was at the button on Bo's pants and as she played with it she wondered in a quiet voice, "Do you want my tongue deep inside of you?"

Bo took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip. Right when she was about to answer Lauren's mother shouted, "Lauren can you please come help your brother set the table?"

Lauren grinned at Bo before turning around to say, "I'll be down in a second mom." She smiled at Bo then gave her a kiss that conveyed how much she wanted to be between Bo's legs at that moment. She broke the kiss then gave her a half-assed apology, "Sorry sweetie."

"Oh you are not sorry. And you're such a damn tease. You knew that was going to happen." Bo said with a smirk on her face, "Just know doctor payback is a bitch."

Lauren headed for the room door and told Bo over her shoulder, "I'd like to see you try."

Bo came up behind her and kissed her cheek before whispering against her ear, "Don't challenge me baby. You'll lose."

Lauren rolled her eyes and told her, "We shall see won't we Professor?"

"That we will." Bo grinned as they walked out of the room and headed downstairs.

* * *

_Two Days Later…_

"Lauren." She groaned and buried herself into the blanket. "Lauren."

Lauren resigned to the fact that she was going to have to wake up in order to go back to sleep. She uncovered her head although she kept her eyes closed, "What Bo?"

Bo didn't say anything instead all she did was give her a kiss then whispered, "Merry Christmas."

Lauren opened her eyes only to see Bo smiling at her with the happiest look on her face. She sat up and kissed her then told her, "Merry Christmas." She looked outside and daylight was just breaking. "Why are we up so early?"

Bo got off the bed then went into the closet saying, "I have a present to give you and I don't think your family would like to see me give you this present."

Bo was right even if everything was going well between their families. The last two days had been an experience for them as a couple. Their families got along great although there had been a couple tense moments. The first one was when Lauren's mom asked Aife about Bo's dad, who had died in a terrible car accident when Bo was thirteen. That put a damper on the mood and everyone went to bed early that night. By the next morning everyone was back in the holiday spirit and Lauren's mom had also apologised to both Aife and Bo in private. Then the second moment was when Matt had commented about how he liked Bo better than Lauren's other girlfriends which then led to him bringing up her disastrous relationship with Nadia. She had cut the conversation short but Bo did ask her about it when they were alone and she told her the story of her relationship with Nadia. Lauren had told Bo everything about her relationship with the woman and how she had cheated on her. She also explained to her that that was the reason why she didn't like it when Bo called her babe. Because that's what Nadia would call her when she was lying to her. But after all that everything was good and the festive mood returned thanks to the help of her mom's egg nog and wine.

Bo came back over to the bed carrying a medium sized box that was wrapped then there was a smaller rectangular box on top of that. She set the boxes down then got on the bed before handing Lauren the medium sized box with a huge grin on her face, "Open this one first."

Lauren pulled the wrapped box closer to her as she gave Bo a sceptical look. She tried to figure out what Bo had gotten her while she unwrapped the box but eventually she realised that she had no idea. The one thing that they did agree upon was no extravagant gifts but she had broken that rule the next day when she saw a leather coat that she knew Bo would look amazing in. After removing all the wrapping paper Lauren uncovered a white box. Again she looked at Bo with an apprehensive look because she was still uncertain of what could be in the box. Lauren took the top off of the box only to see a layer of tissue paper covering whatever piece of clothing was in it. She shook her head and remarked, "This is overkill by the way."

Bo leaned over and kissed her cheek then said, "Don't complain. You're getting presents."

Lauren smiled at her as she unfolded the tissue paper and when she saw what was underneath it her mouth opened in surprise. She gawked at Bo, "You bought me lingerie."

Bo smiled and said, "I bought you lingerie."

Lauren was still stunned by the two articles of clothing that sat at the bottom of the box. She had bought herself some sexy underwear before and was no stranger to lingerie but what was in the box took lingerie up to a whole new level for her. The top was a sheer lace material and the part that was to cover her breasts left little to the imagination. And the rest of the outfit consisted of a matching lace thong. She pointed at the box, "When am I going to wear this Bo?"

Bo grinned and told her, "Never. All the time. Lounging around the house. It's up to you. But do know that when you do wear it I cannot be held responsible for my actions."

Lauren shook her head and placed the top back on the box, "I want you to admit that you have an underwear fetish."

Bo held up a finger and explained, "I do not have an underwear fetish. I happen to like lingerie. And really like lingerie on you. That is not a fetish. This is me giving you the proper attire to indulge in my-"

"Fetish." Lauren interjected with a smile on her face.

Bo chuckled and gave in, "Fine it is a fetish but it's a fetish that is specific to one person. You."

Lauren leaned over and gave her a kiss before she murmured, "And maybe I'll indulge your fetish tonight." Bo got a wide smile on her face, "Maybe. What's in box number two?"

Bo picked up the small rectangular box and Lauren instantly thought jewellery which made her nervous. She handed it to Lauren and as she opened it Bo started to talk, "I know you don't want to talk about and we're not going to talk about it in depth because we deserve a good Christmas together. But I'm leaving Lauren." Lauren stopped unwrapping the box and she looked at Bo. Bo smiled and cupped her cheek before she took the present from Lauren so she could finish unwrapping it, "I'm leaving you for nine months and I don't know how we're going to survive it but I have faith that we will." Lauren was tearing up and Bo sighed, "I know you don't like to think about it because it hurts and it hurts me too Lauren. And I'm more than glad to live in the now with you but our future is looming over our heads and I want you to know that while I'm away no part of me won't miss you. I'll miss waking up to your beautiful face. I'll miss holding you. I'll miss kissing you whenever I want. I'm going to miss you so much that it's suffocating already." Bo opened the suede blue box revealing a white gold ring that had an interesting design and in the middle was a small diamond. The ring was also on a white gold chain, "This is a promise ring. I put it on a chain cause I know you don't wear rings." She wiped at her eyes then took a deep breath, "I got it because I promise you that we will get through this. And I want you to always have some part of me with you. Look on the inside of the ring."

Lauren picked the ring up and she read the inscription on the inside of it,  _"I love you –Bo"_  She took a deep breath. Lauren was speechless for several reasons and she had no idea what to say. She stared at the ring. It was a wonderful gift but at the same time it made her heart hurt because of what it meant but she looked at Bo and smiled, "Thank you Bo."

Bo shook her head no, "You don't get to just thank me Lauren. What do you feel?"

Lauren bit her bottom lip then said, "You know how I feel Bo. I love you and I love this ring, but it won't ease the pain of you leaving. But we will get through it because I love you and you love me." She took hold of Bo's hand and interlocked their fingers, "And I believe if we have that and if we remember that then we can survive this."

Bo leaned over and kissed Lauren and Lauren closed her eyes as she got lost in the feel of Bo's lips pressed against hers. Bo pulled back then rested her forehead on Lauren's as she said in a barely audible whiasper, "I do love you Lauren. So much."

Lauren placed her hand on Bo's cheek then gave her a brief kiss before saying, "I know you do Bo. And I love you."

Bo took Lauren in her arms and there was a silence in the room that allowed them to put a temporary emotional fix on the damage that Bo's inevitable departure had caused. Bo kissed Lauren's forehead then asked, "You want to put the necklace on?"

Lauren shook her head no then looked up at Bo, "I have you now Bo and no necklace is going to replace what I currently have."

Bo chuckled then kissed her, "Okay." She cleared off the bed then they got under the blankets and cuddled. Eventually they fell back to sleep but they needed it. It had been an emotional Christmas morning for them so far and they still had the rest of the day to get through. But the inevitable was out there and it would follow them until the day Bo left which neither was looking forward to.


	2. Two Weeks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters they belong to the wonderful people of Lost Girl, Showcase, Prodigy, et al. and borrowed Orange Is The New Black characters also belong to their respective studios and creators.

Two weeks. Bo was leaving in two weeks. And Lauren was currently in the lab looking at slides for her genetics class. She didn't have to do it but she wanted to be on top of her work even if the semester had just started. Lauren sighed and wrote down her findings then moved to the next slide. She was also avoiding Bo. She couldn't be around her when all she wanted to do was to beg her to stay but everything had been finalised. Bo was headed to Italy for nine months. Lauren had gotten home yesterday to find the new luggage Bo had ordered for her trip in the entryway and she walked right back out the door. She knew Bo was giving her space but she also knew that Bo would only hold off for so long. Lauren was trying to find some way to keep it together until after Bo left. Then once she was gone Lauren could lock herself in their room and cry until exhaustion hit her. She felt a tear run down her cheek and she moved away from the microscope so she could wipe her eyes. She was getting used to crying these days. Whenever she had a moment alone with her thoughts she would start crying. Good thing she was alone in the lab. Her phone went off and Lauren took off her gloves then picked it up. She had a text from Bo. Lauren put her phone down then rubbed her temples. She had to stop doing this. Avoiding Bo because she was upset that she was leaving. They had decided together that it was okay for her leave. Bo had done nothing wrong. So why was she punishing Bo for something that she agreed to? Her phone went off again. She picked it up and looked at the two messages. Bo was wondering where she was. Lauren set her phone down again and buried her hands in her hair.

"You see the thing about hiding on campus is that you shouldn't stick with your normal hideouts. Especially if the person who is looking for you knows you as well as I do." Bo said behind her. Lauren heard her heels click on the tiled floor of the lab then when she reached the station Lauren was at she stated, the irritation obvious in her voice, "You're avoiding me. Again."

Lauren started to pack up her notes and told her, "I'm not avoiding you. I had work to do."

Bo chuckled, "The semester just started baby. You shouldn't be killing yourself already." Then she countered, "And you are avoiding me. You've been avoiding me since before the semester started."

She didn't look at Bo but Lauren sighed, "What do you want me to say Bo? You're right? Okay." She looked at Bo, "You're right Bo. Happy?"

Bo let out a frustrated breath and said, "No I'm not." She moved closer towards Lauren and Lauren backed away from her a little. "See this is what I'm talking about. You're acting like I'm already gone when we should be making the most of our time together. Instead you're avoiding me telling me you have work to do when we both know you could put it off for an hour or so, so we can be together. Or something." Lauren saw the vulnerable look in Bo's eyes as she told her, "I just want to hold you in my arms Lauren. And you're letting the fact that you're upset overshadow all the good we could be experiencing right now."

Lauren took a deep breath and admitted, "I cry Bo. I cry a lot. Anytime I think about you leaving I cry." Her vision became blurry from the unshed tears that filled her eyes, "I want to be around you but all I can do is cry and I can't cry while I'm around you because you'll put everything in perspective and I'll feel like an idiot."

Bo threw her hands up in exasperation, "You are an idiot Lauren. You're an idiot because you won't let me comfort you." She then pointed out, "And you're being selfish. Don't you care about how I'm feeling?"

Lauren had been looking down at the tray of slides on the station but then she snapped her head up when Bo had said that. She looked at Bo, "I care about-"

"No you don't Lauren. You've been so wrapped up in what you're feeling that you haven't even noticed that every time I look at you a piece of me breaks on the inside because instead of us finding comfort in each other you're pushing me away which is the last thing that we need to be doing." Bo shouted the tears shimmering in her eyes. "Stop pushing me away Lauren because I need you." Someone came in the lab and Bo ordered, "Leave. Now."

Lauren watched the two guys leave out of the lab then she looked at Bo, "I'm sorry Bo. I-"

"Yes I know. You're sorry. But you know what Lauren? Sorry isn't going to fix it this time because me leaving affects us both but all you care about is you." Bo shook her head and wiped away the tears that were running down her face. "I've got to go. I have a faculty meeting to get to then a departmental meeting." She took a deep breath then sighed, "I'll see you at home. Maybe."

Lauren watched as Bo walked out of the lab. She felt like shit. Bo was right. She had been so self-involved that she hadn't even bothered to take Bo's feelings into account. Bo would be leaving her but Bo wouldn't be surrounded by their environment. She wouldn't have all the personal effects that would remind her of her family or Lauren. It was then realising that Bo would be in a foreign country with none of the things or people that made her happy that Lauren realised how much of an idiot she was. Lauren began to pack up her slides and as she did so she became determined to fix the rift between her and Bo. She wanted to make sure that Bo knew that even though she would be missed everything would still be waiting for her when she came home and more importantly Lauren would still be here waiting for her. After Lauren packed up and cleaned up her mess in the lab she hurried home. She walked through the front door then went in the living room to find Piper and Alex cuddled up on the couch which was unusual considering they were arguing most days. Lauren walked in front of the TV and said, "I need the house for the night."

Alex groaned and remarked, "Move your skinny ass. It's not made of glass."

"What do you need the house for?" Piper asked after she smacked Alex.

Lauren plopped down in the arm chair next to the couch, "I fucked up. I mean I've fucked up royally."

Alex looked over at her and asked, "Oh you don't say?" She chuckled, "I'm not surprised.

Lauren gave Alex a pointed look, "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means…" Piper started as she looked at Alex then she turned to look at Lauren, "It means that we've noticed things between you and Bo have been tense."

Alex looked at Lauren over her glasses, "Plus you two haven't been grossing us out. This is the longest time I've seen you two not being clingy."

Piper nodded her head in agreement, "This is actually the first time that we've even seen you two argue."

Lauren took a deep breath then sighed, "I've been an idiot and I hurt Bo." She shook her head as she said, "I've been avoiding her because every time I think about her leaving I begin to cry. I hurt on some astronomical level that I have never felt before."

"It's only nine months Lauren." Piper pointed out.

Lauren gave her an incredulous look before she scoffed, "You don't understand and I'm not going to try to make you understand, but nine months is a lot for us." She sighed. There was no way for her to explain how she was feeling to anyone that wasn't her or Bo. "Can we have the house tonight?"

Piper gave her a sincere look and asked, "Are you going to make everything right between you and Bo?" Lauren gave her a questioning look, "You have a history of throwing in the towel during the hard parts of a relationship."

Lauren knew exactly what she was talking about but Bo wasn't like any other woman she had dated. Bo was something different and she couldn't be without her. She smiled and told Piper, "I'm going to do everything I can to make everything better between us."

Piper smiled at her and remarked, "I'm proud of you Lauren and you can have the house tonight. I'm certain we can disappear for the night."

Lauren smiled at them, "Thank you."

* * *

Bo walked into the house and the first thing she noticed was the silence. Ever since Piper and Alex moved in they were either arguing or horsing around and it made for a noisy living environment. She took off her heels and tossed them on the shoe pile by the door. Her day had been long and tedious and she had been unfocused. And she had been unfocused because of Lauren. Bo was concerned about where their relationship was headed and if they were going to survive being apart for nine months. When the calendar hit the two week mark Lauren began to pull away from her, and Bo had noticed it as soon as Lauren began to avoid her. Lauren would come up with ridiculous reasons to not be around her and they had stopped hanging out with each other because Lauren would find something else to do or tell Bo that she didn't have time for her. Then Lauren stopped having sex with her which wasn't a big deal, but for them to not have sex for three days only added to Bo's fear that Lauren was going to break up with her. And through all this Bo had remained patient with Lauren so she could take the proper time needed to process through her feelings. But in order to do that she had to place her own feelings aside and Bo was hurting. She was in excruciating pain that couldn't be fixed because the one person who could fix it wasn't giving her the time of day.

Bo walked into the living room and saw two glasses of wine sitting on the coffee table. She had originally planned not to come home tonight in response to the treatment that Lauren had been giving her lately and because of their discussion earlier. But Lauren had sent her a text that begged her to come home and she had also promised that they were going to fix everything. Bo sat down on the couch and picked up a glass of wine. After taking a long drink from it she sighed then looked around and wondered where Lauren was. It was a few minutes later when she heard Lauren muttering to herself as she walked down the stairs. The blonde walked into the living room and Bo heard her say, "I swear to fucking god if this night doesn't go well I'm going to..." Bo got a small smile on her face because she found Lauren's rambling adorable. Lauren eventually noticed her sitting on the couch and said, "Hey. I didn't hear you come in."

Bo propped her feet up on the coffee table then told her, "I'm not surprised."

Lauren got an irritated look on her face, "Apparently you're not the only one today."

Bo let out a chuckle. She wasn't going to argue with Lauren. She didn't come home for that and if that's all Lauren wanted to do then she would lock herself in her office with the music turned up. "Baby I'm not certain what that means, but if you want to argue I'm going to let you know that you are barking up the wrong tree." Lauren sighed and Bo closed her eyes as she tried not to give into her automatic response of making sure that Lauren was okay. But she did. "Come here Lauren." She felt Lauren sit next to her and Bo looked at her. "I cry too Lauren. But I cry for another reason though." Bo paused when she saw the guilty look come across Lauren's face, "I cry because my girlfriend is too self-absorbed to realise that I'm hurting too. I cry because I'm leaving the very person who has given my life meaning and it's ripping me up inside." Bo sighed and let her head fall back against the couch. "I cry because I love you so damn much that it hurts and I'm contemplating on backing out of this contract and blowing off the teaching job." Bo took a drink from her wine glass, "So you're not the only one who cries Lauren."

Bo brought her head forward and she stared at the blank TV in front of the couch. She had said what she wanted to say. Now it was up to Lauren to make things right between them because Bo had tried to and Lauren only pushed her away. She felt Lauren take her hand and say, "I know sorry doesn't fix the damage I've already caused Bo, but I am." Bo looked down at their joined hands and her heart filled with love for the woman sitting next to her. "I didn't know how to deal with my feelings of you leaving soon and you were right. I'm already missing you like you're gone but you're not." She gave Bo's hand a gentle squeeze, "You're right here with me and I'm screwing up whatever time we have left together and I want to correct that." Lauren took a gentle hold of her chin and moved Bo's head so that she was looking at her, "We need to make memories Bo because that's all you'll have to take with you. And we need to make lots of memories together so that way you have good things to think about when you're missing home. I also have some other things planned so that way you'll have something to take with you to Italy. "

Bo had tears in her eyes as she smiled, "I would love to make memories with you."

Lauren leaned in and kissed her then whispered, "And Bo…"

"Yeah?" Bo whispered back

"No more crying." Lauren pressed her lips to Bo's and as they began to kiss Bo felt as though she was coming back home to the one place that she could be vulnerable and nothing bad would happen to her. Lauren kissed her one more time before she pulled away. She got up then held out her hand for Bo to take, "Come on. I made dinner and after dinner I've got a little surprise for you."

Bo took her hand and got up with a smile on her face then she pulled Lauren close to her so she could capture Lauren's lips for a passionate kiss. She wanted more of Lauren and yearned to feel every inch of her now that they had cleared up everything between them. Even though they had just made up she was still surprised by how much she wanted Lauren. Bo thought they would have gotten pass this phase in their relationship but here they were at five months of dating and she still craved for the woman in her arms. Lauren melted into the kiss and Bo moved her hands from Lauren's waist to her ass. She felt Lauren smile into the kiss before she moved Bo's hands then pulled back smirking, "That's later." She kissed her one more time then grinned, "Now let's go eat."

Bo noticed the alluring mischievous look on Lauren's face and remarked, "Oh you are sexy when you're plotting." She then had a thought that popped into her head, "Are you indulging me tonight?"

Lauren gave her a mock look of irritation and told her, "Bo Dennis if we do not have dinner I will not be giving you any of your surprises." And as she headed out the living room she asked, "Also have I indulged you since you've given me the lingerie?"

Bo couldn't hold back the pout, "No." She didn't have a lingerie fetish but she did find Lauren damn attractive in sexy underwear. It all started when she and Lauren began to have sex. That day in the classroom when Bo pulled off her pants and found her wearing a sexy blue thong she thought she was going to have a heart attack. Bo smirked to herself when she thought about the panties. She would be taking those to Italy with her as a memento of how sexy her girlfriend really was.

They headed into the kitchen and Lauren told Bo, "Go sit at the table. " Bo followed Lauren over to the stove and wrapped her arms around her waist then nuzzled her neck which caused her to let out small giggle, "Bo stop and go sit down."

Bo kissed the soft skin of her neck then smiled as she enjoyed the feeling of having her lips on Lauren's skin. She had missed it the last few days and now that they were back in a good place she wanted to explore every inch of Lauren's body. She placed a series of kisses up Lauren's neck then murmured, "How can you expect me to keep my hands off of you?" The nimble fingers of her right hand began to unbutton the last few buttons on Lauren's shirt. As she undid the shirt she sucked on the blonde's earlobe then whispered against her ear, "I've missed you so much these last few days. There were parts of me that I never knew existed that longed for you." She parted the fabric of Lauren's shirt and as her fingers glided across the smooth skin of her stomach Bo could feel the muscles underneath it quiver at her touch. She kissed the spot beneath Lauren's ear then continued to whisper "I need you so much baby. Please..."

Lauren reached back and buried her hand in Bo's hair before she turned her head to meet Bo's lips. Bo held Lauren tightly against her as their passion engulfed them like a fast moving fire. She broke the kiss then turned Lauren around in her arms before capturing her lips again to continue the searing kiss. She guided Lauren back until the counter next to the stove prevented them from moving further. Lauren pulled away from Bo and moaned, "Bo...sweetie..."

Bo started to kiss and nip at Lauren's neck and she was so lost in her desire to feel Lauren that she didn't hear her. Lauren took hold of her head and Bo looked into the eyes that held nothing but desire and love for her. Her heart began to beat faster. Lauren's effect on her had on her always amazed her. She licked her lips then smirked, "What's up?"

Lauren placed a gentle kiss on her lips then murmured against them, "I need to turn the stove off. Unless you want to burn the house down."

Bo grinned and began to undo the clasp on Lauren's pants, "Well if you're interested in burning down the house then I think the two of us can take care of that." Lauren gave her a playful stern look and Bo grinned at her before she gave her one more kiss then moved away, "You're so irresistible. Okay do what you need to do."

Lauren reached over to turn off the two burners that were on and once they were off Bo took her face in her hands then seized Lauren's lips for a kiss that she knew would take the blonde's breath away. For a fraction of a second Lauren didn't respond to the kiss but then she wrapped her arms around Bo and began to kiss back meeting Bo's enthusiasm with her own. Bo glided her hands down to the back of Lauren's neck. Not having been this close to Lauren in the last few days made her needy and as soon as she touched Lauren her mind had one train of thought which was to get the blonde undressed. Bo moved away from Lauren and smirked at her when she saw the look a pure lust and need in her eyes. This was the look that drove her to the brink of insanity whenever they were together and fuelled her into a frenzied state.

Bo pulled Lauren's shirt off and dropped it to the kitchen floor. She bit her bottom lip when she saw that Lauren was wearing the black satin bra that she liked to wear when she wanted to give Bo a heart attack. Which meant she was also wearing a matching set of panties that Bo couldn't wait to see Lauren's ass in. Bo kissed the side of her of neck and whispered, "You were planning on seducing me tonight."

Lauren let out a small chuckle, "You don't need seducing." Bo kissed her way down the centre of Lauren's chest and when she reached the curve of her right breast she nipped at the skin before giving it a gentle suck. Lauren let out a soft moan as she ran her fingers through Bo's hair then held her head in place as she remarked, "See you don't need seducing."

Bo moved back a little then grinned at her and commented, "You're right I don't. All it takes is one look from you and I'm all yours." She undid Lauren's bra then as soon as the last hook was undone she pulled it down revealing Lauren's soft yet tantalising breasts and Bo didn't hesitate to bend down to take the hardening nipple into her mouth. Lauren gave her hair a slight tug as she groaned. Bo gave Lauren's breasts careful attention being sure to worship every part of them. She tugged on Lauren's nipple with her teeth causing the blonde to moan which was music to Bo's ears so she did it again so she could hear Lauren moan again. She couldn't hold back anymore. Bo had to taste her. Bo kissed her way down from Lauren's breast and as she kissed down her taut abdomen she nipped at the skin. Bo got to Lauren's hip bone and she proceeded to give the skin over it a gentle bite. It was one of the sexiest parts on Lauren and Bo couldn't help but to give it some attention. She unzipped the zipper that was on Lauren's pants before tugging them down to reveal the black cotton panties that Lauren's ass looked magnificent in. Bo looked up at Lauren who looked down at her and Bo could tell the woman was silently begging for her to continue. Lauren needed this as much as she did and she wouldn't deny them any longer what they both desired. She pulled the panties down slowly but once she was looking at Lauren's aroused flesh she couldn't hold back the need to have her tongue buried deep inside of her. Bo was momentarily transfixed by the sight before her but she was brought out of it when Lauren whispered, "Bo please."

Bo looked up at Lauren and gave her slight nod. She extended her tongue out then stroked the sensitive outer lips with the tip of her tongue causing Lauren to shudder at the contact. Bo let out a low moan as the taste of Lauren's skin and wetness covered her tongue. She had numerous lovers before but none of them could hold a candle to Lauren. Lauren made Bo feel things that she never knew she wanted. And sometimes it scared her at other times it exhilarated her, but the one thing Bo knew in her very core was that she wanted Lauren. Bo tasted every part of Lauren making sure nothing went untouched and while Bo's mouth and tongue explored the most intimate part of her, Lauren dug her fingers into her scalp which only caused Bo to be more enthusiastic in her actions. Bo flicked her tongue several times over Lauren's hard clit before she glided two of her fingers into the woman. Feeling Lauren wrapped around her fingers added to Bo's arousal and she knew she was as close to coming as Lauren was. Bo gave Lauren's clit a final suck before she stood up while her fingers remained deep inside of her. Bo kissed Lauren then whispered against her ear, "I need you so much…" She took Lauren's earlobe between her teeth then gave it a gentle tug before begging, "Touch me Lauren. I need you to touch me."

Bo looked Lauren in her eyes and Lauren didn't hesitate to give her what she wanted. Bo had never begged with a lover before but whenever she was with Lauren she found herself begging because she longed to feel her hands on her. Lauren fumbled with the fabric of Bo's skirt as she pulled it up. Bo wasn't wearing underwear as usual so as soon as Lauren touched her Bo dropped her head to Lauren's shoulder and let out a soft moan. Lauren's quick fingers slid into her and Bo couldn't contain the cry that escaped her. It felt so good to have Lauren inside of her that Bo revelled in the feeling for a moment before she began to slowly fuck the blonde. Lauren moaned then she started to move the fingers that she had inside of Bo. Bo could barely concentrate on what she was doing to Lauren but she kept going even as her impending orgasm grew. "Bo…" Lauren breathed against her ear, "Look at me."

Bo bit her bottom lip then looked into Lauren's eyes. She saw the love in her eyes and Bo's heart clenched at the unguarded emotion in them. It was in that moment that she realised that she had so much love for the woman that it overwhelmed her. It wasn't long before the both of them started to come and Bo was the first one to come. As they were coming down from their orgasms Bo felt so close to Lauren in that moment and for once she wanted to bask in silence with her. Their moments of basking were numbered and this one was an important one. Make-up sex after an argument basking. Lauren kissed the side of her neck and Bo smirked as she said, "Now can we have dinner?"

Bo chuckled then kissed the side of her head before telling her, "We were basking."

Lauren let out a soft laugh, "We bask in bed. When we have sex against one of the counters in the kitchen there isn't room for basking."

"Ah that's because we have two other people that live with us." Bo said as she moved away from Lauren.

Lauren pulled up her pants and said, "No it's not because of that. Piper and Alex won't be home tonight or if they do come home it won't be until much later."

Bo fixed her skirt then pulled out one of the barstools by the island, "Did you pay Piper and Alex to give us the house for the evening?"

Lauren laughed then gave Bo a sexy smirk, "I didn't pay them." Then she said, "They realised that we were having issues so they're giving us the night by ourselves."

Bo watched Lauren move around the kitchen. She could count on one hand how many times Lauren had cooked since they moved in together, but between her schoolwork and class Lauren rarely cooked so Bo was in charge of making sure that she was well fed. But every now then Lauren would have some free time and she would cook Bo a fantastic meal. Lauren was a natural chef. She didn't use recipes to make meals. All she would do is get a bunch of ingredients together then make an amazing meal. First time Lauren had cooked for her Bo had made all sorts of jokes about Lauren's food killing her off but then once she had tasted it she blown away by the meal. Bo smiled as she thought about how much she would miss seeing Lauren move around the kitchen. She took a deep breath as wave off melancholy came over her. Bo wasn't going to let her thoughts distract her from their night or the rest of their time together. Bo smiled and said, "We were having issues but I think we've overcome them."

Lauren turned around and looked at her then she did a little head tilt that made her look so beautiful that it made Bo stomach flutter. "Have we gotten over our issues Bo?"

Bo recognised the tone and look on Lauren's face. It wasn't one that meant that she was about to argue with Bo but it did mean that she was going to be persistent about the topic. And it was one that that they had covered numerous times already and there was no need for them to discuss it further. Bo got up then walked over to Lauren. She gave her a quick kiss then took hold of her face and looked Lauren in her eyes, "No we haven't. But there's nothing we can do about it. I've signed the paperwork. My housing has been secured and they're close to paying me. Italy is concrete baby." She took a moment to look Lauren in her eyes before continuing, "And neither of us wants me to leave. I for damn sure don't want to leave. You're going to Boston and starting med school and I'm going to miss your first day. I'm going to miss seeing the excitement in your eyes when you tell me about the tour of Mass Gen. I'm going to miss the excitement of you talking about your classes. I'm going to miss a lot. And I know we'll video call each other but it isn't going to be the same as in person." Bo took a deep breath then sighed, "So let's eat dinner. Let's drink wine then make love on the living room floor because we can do that right now because Piper and Alex aren't home." Bo finished with a smiled on her face. Lauren returned the smiled with a small one of her own before she gave Bo a kiss. Bo smiled and told her, "I'm going to go change."

Lauren nodded then as Bo was walking away she grabbed her arm and Bo looked at her. There was a moment of silence as they look at her each other then Lauren said in a quiet voice, "I love you Bo."

Bo got closer to her then placed a soft kiss on her lips before saying, "I love you too sweetheart."

Bo held her for a minute or two then Lauren moved away from her and smiled, "Go change so I can get dinner on the table."

Bo chuckled then walked out of the kitchen. She felt better knowing that she and Lauren were back on good terms. She had missed her girlfriend so much these last few days but now that they were going to be happy and make the most of the time that they had together she wasn't going to dwell on the bad. Instead she was going to show Lauren how much she loved her and she hoped that would include having sex in front of the fireplace in the living room.

* * *

Lauren looked at Bo over the rim of her wineglass as she took a sip. Bo was currently sitting back in her chair with a content look on her face. She had really enjoyed dinner and Lauren was glad that she did. Lauren had to admit that she did enjoy cooking for Bo. When she and Piper had first gotten an apartment together the only time she would cook was when she needed relieve her stress and she would still do it from time to time. But now when she cooked for Bo it was to show her how much she loved her.

Bo picked up her wineglass and took a drink from it before saying, "As you know today was my last day working for the university." She took a deep breath and Lauren knew she was upset by the fact that she was leaving. Lauren took her hand and Bo continued, "I handed off my research projects that were funded by them and it really sucked." Lauren bit the corner of her lip because she felt a little guilty. It was her fault that Bo was handing over her research and it was her fault that when Bo came home from Italy she wouldn't be coming back here. She would be going to Boston. And the work wasn't what upset Bo because she had several other ongoing projects that weren't funded by the university but she had a little family here and Lauren knew that Bo would miss the people that she had worked closely with a lot. Bo smiled at her, "And even though it sucked I'm not regretting my decision to follow you wherever you go." And just like that Bo had eased her guilt, "I'm only saying this because the research team is throwing me a farewell party. It's going to be at that one restaurant that everyone likes."

Lauren got up and got both of their plates asking, "And when is that going to happen?"

"Tomorrow night. Are you busy because if you are we can-"

Lauren put their plates in the sink and scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous Bo we can't cancel and I'm not busy." She looked at Bo over her shoulder, "Especially now that I'm not actively avoiding you anymore."

Bo chuckled and remarked, "I'm thankful for that and still little upset by it, but I get why you did it." Bo got up and walked over to her. "Tomorrow at seven thirty. Wear your burlap sack because I refuse to have you upstaging everyone else. Although I'm certain you'll still look irresistible in that."

Lauren rolled her eyes and chuckled, "You'll have to pick it up from the cleaners for me."

"Or we could buy you a new one." Bo suggested as she placed a kiss on Lauren's cheek. Bo brushed a wayward strand of hair behind her ear then asked, "What else is on tonight's schedule?"

Lauren began to rinse off their dinner dishes and put them in the dishwasher. She had several things planned for the evening but a majority of it involved them being in bed. Lauren chuckled and said, "First we are going to clean the kitchen then I have something planned that requires us to behave ourselves in public."

Bo chuckled then gave her a teasing pout, "But I don't want to behave. We have had three days of behaving. I want to misbehave." Bo moved behind her then brushed Lauren's hair to the side before she placed a soft kiss on her neck, which sent a chill through Lauren, then murmured, "I want to misbehave over..." Bo kissed further up Lauren's neck as she placed her hands on her hips, "...and over..." Lauren then felt a gentle bite to the crook of her neck then Bo whispered against her ear, "Again."

Lauren was biting her bottom lip hard. She wanted to give into Bo's advances and engage in an encore performance of their earlier kitchen activities, but they were on a schedule. Lauren had trouble finding her words as Bo's agile fingers started to work on the buttons of her shirt. The cotton material brushed lightly against her skin and made her tense up in anticipation. Lauren took a deep breath then cleared her throat, "Bo...sweetie...we can't."

Bo's let out a low chuckle, "And why can't we? We did earlier."

Lauren closed her eyes then inhaled through her nose as Bo's fingertips came in contact with her warm skin. She clenched her jaw as she tried not to give into the fact that she needed Bo's hands on her again or the fact that she had missed Bo for the last three days and all she wanted to do was make love to her all night long. Bo's hand reached waist of her pants and Lauren grabbed her wrist as she told her, "We are on a schedule and I don't trust myself to stop you if you go any further than you are."

Bo laughed then kissed her temple before saying, "Okay then. Let's clean."

They cleaned the kitchen then once they were done Lauren looked at Bo and smiled, "I need you to change into something that is not sweatpants and a tank top." Lauren tilted her head then said, "Nothing to fancy but you should dress nice."

Bo got a suspicious look on her face and asked, "And where are we going Lauren?"

Lauren grinned at her and said, "Out." Bo was still giving her an uneasy look and Lauren rolled her eyes then smiled, "Don't ruin this for me Bo. I don't get to surprise you often plus I'm apologising for the last few days."

Bo shook her head then she gave Lauren a quick kiss before saying, "Okay I will let you have your fun and make amends for the last few days."

Lauren gave Bo a gracious smile, "Thank you. Now can you please go get ready?"

Bo gave her one more kiss then jogged out of the kitchen. Lauren leaned back against the island as she watched her retreating form. She was going to miss Bo so much. She brought Lauren so much happiness. And no matter how much she tried to mentally prepare herself for their impending separation it didn't lessen the ache that was growing inside of her. But, as she had told Bo earlier, there was going to be no more crying and they were only going to make memories. Their first ones would be a concert followed by an evening stroll by the lake. Lauren took a deep breath then walked over to the stairs yelling up them, "Bring a sweater. It's supposed to get chilly later."

"Why do I need a sweater Lauren if we're going to be inside?" Bo asked her and Lauren smiled because she could tell Bo was joking with her.

"Bo…."

She heard Bo laugh and that was it she couldn't stand be away from her anymore. Avoiding Bo for the last few days had been horrible for her and she never wanted to do it again. Now that things were better between them she wanted to be around Bo all the time. Lauren headed up the stairs then walked down the hall to their room. She didn't enter the room instead she leaned on the doorframe and watched as Bo put on a pair of black jeans. The jeans were tight and Lauren openly admired the way the denim fabric hugged Bo's ass. Lauren was biting her lip and she was in a captivating fantasy that starred Bo's ass when Bo said, "Baby you keep staring at my ass like that and you're going to burn a hole in these jeans."

Lauren began to blush profusely. It was one thing to admire her girlfriend's ass but it was another thing to blatantly ogle it. Lauren let out a soft chuckle, "Sorry I um…"

Lauren trailed off as Bo strode over to her. She noticed the enticing way Bo moved her hips and Lauren knew exactly what she was doing. When she was close enough Bo took hold of her hips and pulled Lauren in close. Then she placed a soft kiss on her lips before she told her in a quiet voice, "Stare all you want. I like it when you look at me like that. It turns me on and makes me want your hands all over me."

Lauren swallowed hard as she tried to hold onto her control. She whispered, "I know what you're doing Bo."

Bo let out a low sexy chuckle that made Lauren's pulse quicken, "Of course you do. But…" She moved away from Lauren then headed for their closet, "I was told I have to behave."

Lauren was close to wanting to blow off their plans so they could make love all night. She began to rationalise that it was the best way for them to get over their disagreement as well as being a great way for them make memories together. Lauren shook her head so she could shake the sex driven thoughts from her mind. They were going to make their plans come hell or high water. Bo eventually finished getting dressed and once she was they headed out for the evening. Both showing great restraint as they got into Bo's car.


	3. A Dinner With Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters they belong to the wonderful people of Lost Girl, Showcase, Prodigy, et al. and borrowed Orange Is The New Black characters also belong to their respective studios and creators.

Bo was using her hand to hold her head up while she watched a slumbering Lauren. The blonde had a small, cute smile on her face and she looked so happy. Bo reached out and carefully moved a strand of Lauren’s hair out of her face then let her finger tips lightly brush over her jaw. She was going to miss this. Waking up before Lauren and watching her sleep. It gave her time to admire how beautiful she was and to reflect on how much she loved her. As she continued to watch Lauren sleep Bo thought about their night out. Lauren had taken her to some musical festival at the college then they walked to the park and took a moonlit stroll by the pond. It was all really romantic, but eventually she and Lauren gave into their desire for each other and they wound up having sex in her car which continued when they got home. Bo sighed as her mind drifted to their night of lovemaking. Every touch, kiss, and caress was etched into her memory. The soft moans and gasps that Lauren had let out played on a continuous loop in her head that caused her body to have an instant reaction. There had been an all consuming hunger between them that never seemed to be sated and the only reason why they stopped last night was because they both couldn’t fight off sleep. The continuous throb that Bo felt between her legs was increasing in intensity and all she wanted to do was wake Lauren up in a way that would make them both happy, but it was already late in the day. They had several things that needed to be done in preparation for her departure, but first they were going to have breakfast in bed.

                Bo placed a gentle kiss on Lauren’s shoulder before she slipped out of bed. After she put her robe on she made a quiet exit from the room and headed downstairs. Bo walked into the kitchen and she went over to the coffee pot to get it started. Then she started to make breakfast. Bo was in the middle of making pancakes when Piper walked in and groaned, “It’s too early for the house to smell this amazing.” She headed to the cabinet and pulled out a coffee mug then asked Bo, “Please tell me you made enough for everyone?”

                Bo rolled her eyes and chuckled. She hadn’t lived with other people in quite some time, so it had been an ongoing learning experience for her to mentally adjust to the fact that she was living with roommates again. And it was a challenge because Lauren and Piper had an already established roommate relationship that was based on a communal living situation so they didn’t mind sharing or cooking for each other. Alex on the other hand had boundary issues which irritated Lauren, but Bo had come to realise that it was part of her personality. Bo also realised that Piper came with Alex so in order for her to feel okay about leaving Lauren she had to be okay with Alex. Bo looked at Piper and told her, “There is enough for everyone. I didn’t pull out the fruit but there is some in the fridge.”

                Piper grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate then as she munched on it she asked, “How did last night go?”

                Bo got a happy smile on her face, “It was amazing. Lauren really put a lot of thought into everything and I’m just happy that we were able to work through everything.” She flipped over a pancake and sighed, “I can’t stand it when we fight.”

                Piper hopped up on the island then sipped her coffee before saying, “Bo can I ask you a question?”

                Bo had heard the serious tone in Piper’s voice and she knew a heavy conversation was about to take place. She finished cooking the two pancakes that she had on the griddle then turned off the burner before she turned around to look at Piper, “Go ahead.”

                Piper took another sip of coffee before she began, “You and Lauren…..where do you see that going?” Bo raised her eyebrow in surprise and Piper began to explain, “I’m only asking because Lauren is like a sister to me. I mean I have my brother, but having a sister is like a big deal because I can talk to her about things that I can’t talk to my brother about. And I love her to death.”  Piper sighed, “I’ve seen her through some really shitty relationships Bo, but with this one I know she has her whole heart in it.” Piper then shook her head, “And I got worried when things got awkward between you two because Lauren, no matter how good something is for her, doesn’t think she deserves the best.” Piper took another drink from her coffee mug before she let out a breath and asked, “But she does. And what I need to know from you Bo is will you always fight for her even if it is Lauren that you’re fighting against?”

                Bo regarded Piper as she took a sip of coffee. She knew where she wanted her and Lauren’s relationship to go and she knew that getting to that point would be hard because of the reason Piper had just stated. Lauren was a difficult woman to love. She pulled away when things weren’t going good. She liked to hide in her work to avoid talking about things and she had a hard time expressing what she was feeling. It frustrated Bo, but Bo also knew that Lauren was scared and waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it wasn’t going to happen. As much as Lauren was invested in their relationship Bo was equally, if not more, invested as Lauren was. Bo glanced over at the kitchen entryway and took a moment to make sure that they were the only ones hearing this conversation. Then she gave Piper a pointed look, “I want to marry her someday.”

                Piper choked on the sip of coffee that she just drunk. And as she coughed she croaked out, “What?!”

                Bo bit her bottom lip and grinned, “I want to marry that stubborn, intelligent woman.” Bo sighed then went about getting everything ready to serve Lauren breakfast in bed. “She has taken my heart. Completely.  And I will fight everything that comes our way even if it is Lauren hereself. At some point she will understand that I will not be leaving her or our relationship for a very long time.”

                “Then why are you going to Italy? Or at least why aren’t you taking her with you?” Piper wondered.

                Bo smiled at her, “Because Lauren coming with me messes up the plan that she already had before me and I’m not going to do that. And I’m going to Italy because their program in sex and gender studies is one of the most groundbreaking ones that I’ve ever heard of and it is a privilege to be invited to come teach there.” Bo put some bread in the toaster as she admitted, “They had invited me to teach there before the last semester started and I had said yes to a full year with an option to extend it, but I had committed to teach the fall term here. The research that they do is phenomenal and to be a part of it…” Bo shook her head in amazement, “It would have been an incredible thing for my career.”

                Piper hopped off the island and moved closer to Bo, “You mean to tell me you changed your plans for Lauren?”

                Bo looked Piper in the eyes and told her, “One look at her and I changed my whole life.” She chuckled, “I had ambitious plans to be the go to psychologist and sociologist on sexuality and sex related topics. And I mean I can still be that because I’m writing my book, and I can do lectures along with a plethora of other things, but my focus in life has changed. I now want to marry Lauren and have kids with her and…” She trailed off then finished what she was saying, “I have so many plans now and they all involve her. So yeah my plans have changed. And wherever she goes I’ll be there. I want to see her become accomplished.” Bo couldn’t help the smile that appeared automatically on her face as she said, “I want so much for her Piper and I want to be by her side to see her achieve it all.”

                Piper looked at her with a huge smile on her face and there was a moment of silence between them before the tall blonde gave Bo a quick hug saying, “You’re just what she needs. Thank you.”

                Bo gave Piper’s back an awkward pat then replied, “I just fell in love, but uh…thanks. I think.”

                “Piper where are you?” Alex called out as she came downstairs.

                Piper muttered under her breath, “She has two legs for a reason.” Then she shouted, “In the kitchen. Bo made breakfast.”

                Bo just chuckled while she finished making up her and Lauren’s plates then she loaded them onto a breakfast tray before heading upstairs to serve her wonderful girlfriend breakfast in bed.

* * *

 

 

                Bo gave Lauren’s hand a reassuring squeeze and told her, “Everything will be fine Lauren. They’re going to love you and they’re going be happy for me as well as us.”

                Lauren scoffed then argued, “And when they ask about how we met what are we going to say? The produce aisle at the grocery store?” She shook her head, “It’s going to be weird Bo.”

                Ever since they  left the house she had been stressing about meeting Bo’s friends. Lauren was certain that they would be as warm and welcoming as Bo was, but there were other factors such as her being younger than Bo and the way that they met that had been making her progressively nervous as the day went on. Bo chuckled and remarked, “Have you been watching romantic comedies with Piper again? And what if we had met in the produce aisle, how do you think that would have gone?”

                Lauren rolled her eyes as she recognised the tactic that Bo liked to use to get her to relax and not focus on what was stressing her out. She held on tighter to Bo’s arm as they walked to the restaurant. “I would be looking at the fruit that’s in season, which would be papaya because I would need it for a sauce that I’m making, and I’d spot you eating grapes a little further down the aisle.” Lauren bit the inside of her lip as she tried not to grin, “Of course I’d give you that look of disapproval because we all know that you need to wash grapes properly before eating them. But every thought would vanish from my mind when you would toss your hair over your shoulder.” This time she did grin as she looked over at Bo who had a knowing smirk on her face, “I’m glad you know what I’m talking about.”

                Bo kissed the side of her head and said, “Keep going. We haven’t met yet.”

                Lauren chuckled as she continued the romantic comedy version of how they would have met, “So after you do your little hair flip I’m rendered speechless of course. Then as I’m trying to work up the nerve to talk to you, you slip and fall.” Lauren chuckled and added, “I’m assuming you slipped on a grape.”

                Bo laughed and told her, “I’m not the clumsy one in this relationship.”

                Lauren covered her mouth with her gloved hand and pointed out, “This isn’t us. This is our romantic comedy selves.” She removed her hand, “Also you don’t know me yet so you don’t know how clumsy I am.”

                Bo let out a soft laugh then asked, “Do you run over and give my butt a nice rub?”

                Lauren bit the inside of her lip as she looked at Bo from the corner of her eye. They had reached the restaurant and Bo had opened the door for her then as she passed by Lauren smiled at her then gave her kiss before saying, “I leave the produce aisle.”

                Bo gawked at her for a second then followed behind her remarking, “You mean we don’t even meet after I do my jaw dropping hair flip?”

                Lauren only smirked as Bo walked over to the host stand to let them know that they were meeting people. As the host showed them to the table Lauren’s nervousness returned and she was certain that she would trip over herself.  When they reached to the table Lauren noticed that were three women and two men sitting at it and one of the guys, a blonde man with glasses, stood up and hugged Bo saying, “Ah the illustrious professor Dennis. I’m glad to see you didn’t worm your way out of this one.”

                Bo laughed then commented, “Well I didn’t have much of a choice now did I Frank?”

                The man stepped away from Bo then looked at Lauren who was trying not to hide behind Bo, but she was hiding behind Bo. Frank extended his hand out to her, “And you must be the very person who has smitten the professor.”

                Lauren gave him a nervous, polite smile, “Hi. I’m Lauren.”

                Bo turned around and smiled at Lauren then placed a gentle hand on Lauren’s shoulder so she could introduce her. Bo had a huge smile on her face as she said, “Everyone meet Lauren. Lauren is the amazing woman who has stolen my heart.” Lauren gave the table a timid wave then Bo pointed out everyone for her. She pointed to a blonde woman, “That’s Cynthia,” then she pointed to a black haired woman, “Julie who is sitting next to Mark,” The redheaded man gave Lauren a slight nod and then she pointed to a brown haired woman, “And last, but most certainly not the least, Veronica.”

                Veronica gave Lauren a cordial smile and said, “It’s very nice to meet you Lauren. I have to say we were starting think that you were a myth considering that we hadn’t met you yet.”

                Bo pulled out the empty chair for Lauren to sit in and Lauren replied, “Well I was starting to think Bo was friendless.”

                The table erupted with laughter and as Bo sat down in the chair next her, which was also next to Veronica, she commented, “Well I’m certain after this dinner I will be friendless if this is going to set the tone for the evening.”

                Mark chuckled and told her, “Oh easy now Bo we’re only kidding.”

                The light hearted nature around the table put Lauren at ease and she was able to relax enough so she could enjoy dinner. It was about midway through dinner when the conversation turned from Bo’s teaching job in Italy to how Bo and Lauren met. Cynthia took a sip of her wine and inquired, “Lauren how did you meet Bo? As much as she talks about you she has yet to tell us how she met you.”

                Lauren glanced at Bo who only smiled and shrugged at her. She took a sip of water then said, “How Bo and I met is pretty interesting. She was standing next to me in line in the cafeteria and she had heard the terrible joke I made about the salad then next thing I’m know I’m being asked out on a date.”

                “Ah so do you work at the university or do you go to the university?” Veronica asked. One of her perfectly shaped eyebrows raising by the time she finished the question.

                Lauren looked at the woman who had garnered most of Bo’s attention for most of the night and smiled, “I go to the university. I’m currently working on my last semester.”

                Veronica nodded her head and chuckled, “So you’re a student?”

                “I am.” Lauren answered wondering what the woman would say.

                Veronica looked at Bo and remarked, “You couldn’t have found a faculty member to sleep with?”

                Bo rolled her eyes and responded, “Oh be quiet Veronica. You’re just mad because I chose a student over you. Also I’m not sleeping with her. Lauren and I are in a relationship. Which is-“

                “You two stop it.” Mark groaned out. He then gave Lauren an apologetic look, “I’m sorry about this. These two like to break out the dirt when one of them feels wounded by the other.”

                Lauren remained polite and friendly, but she wondered about things between Bo and Veronica because it had changed the entire mood of the table. She smiled and told him, “There’s nothing to apologise for.”

                Capitalising on Lauren’s deflection of the conversation Bo took her hand and chuckled, “Lauren’s right. Let’s finish dinner so I can take my lovely girlfriend home and make love to her.”

                Everyone groaned but Bo just laughed and Lauren continued to smile although she wanted grill Bo about Veronica. Dinner concluded without any further complications and as she and Bo were leaving the restaurant Bo wrapped her arm around Lauren’s shoulder then kissed her cheek, “I told you they would like you. I think tonight was a success.” Lauren let out a low hum and Bo asked, “What’s the matter Lauren?”

                Lauren reached up and took hold of the hand that Bo had dangling over her shoulder as she tried to figure out what to say. She was still thinking about Bo and Veronica’s conversation and she was trying to figure out if the exchange between the two women was worth the conversation. Deciding that Bo’s past was in the past Lauren sighed then kissed Bo’s hand before answering, “Nothing is the matter sweetie.” She looked at Bo with a smile on her face, “I had good time. Although I told you they were going to ask how we met.”

                Bo gave her a sceptical look for a second then placed a soft kiss on her lips before saying, “I know you did, but you handled it well.”

                Lauren chuckled then told her, “Barely. I was close to telling them the truth and letting them know that I let you bang me in a classroom while you were professor.”

                Bo took a deep breath then remarked, “You could have told them but they wouldn’t have believed you.”

                Lauren laughed and asked, “Why not?”

                Bo let out a low laugh, “Because they know how much I despise undergrads. I’m certain they are surprised by this sudden turn of events.”

                “Not as surprised as I was.” Lauren muttered under her breath before she commented, “I’m sure they were.” They were quiet for a moment then curiosity got the best of Lauren, “You and Veronica….”

                Bo let out small laugh then sighed, “She’s nothing Lauren.” But she did give Lauren a further explanation, “We had a fling when I first started working at the university but then I broke it off because it was going to lead to drama and I was right. She has been the worse person to work with since. This is why I dated outside of the college. But you threw a wrench in everything. Didn’t you?”

                Lauren felt a little bit better knowing why Veronica acted the way she did. And it did make her feel a little better knowing that Bo wasn’t tempted in the slightest. She gave Bo a kiss and smirked, “I didn’t mean to.”

                Bo chuckled then gave her a quick squeeze, “We’ll you’re not entirely to blame here. Are you okay about the Veronica situation now?”

                Lauren sighed and said, “Yes I am.”

                “Good. Let’s go home and have sex. Having to show a little bit of willpower has been a very hard thing for me to do.” Bo said as they got to her car.

                Bo opened Lauren’s door and as she got in she told her, “I don’t know….I’m feeling a bit tired.”

                Bo must have notice the subtle smirk on her face and chuckled, “Okay. We’ll see what happens when we get home.”

                Bo got in the car and as they were driving home Lauren was teasing Bo and Bo kept telling her to stop, but Lauren wouldn’t stop. She was having fun messing with Bo. They got home and when they reached the front door Bo took hold of Lauren’s waist then pinned her against it asking in a low voice, “Did you have fun teasing me?”

                Lauren grinned and replied, “Who said I was done teasing you professor?” She wedged her thigh between Bo’s legs and used it to apply firm pressure to the apex between them causing her to let out soft moan. “Clearly you need more.”

                Lauren let out a small laugh as Bo tried to figure out if she wanted to take her against the door or unlock the thing. Bo nipped her neck then kissed it before murmuring, “Have I told you how amazing you look in that dress tonight?” Lauren bit her bottom lip when Bo’s finger tips lightly touched her skin as they ran across the top hem of the dress that rested against her chest. The wandering then hand moved down the back of her dress and when it reached her ass Bo took a firm hold of it and pulled Lauren close to her. There was a very small gap between their lips when Bo whispered, “Because you are so damn hot in this dress.” The miniscule gap quickly vanished as Bo pressed her lips on Lauren’s.

Lauren moaned and buried her hand into Bo’s thick hair as the passionate kiss ignited the arousal between them. They were caught up in their excitement when the door opened. Lauren stumbled back a bit but Bo held onto her. She looked behind her and saw a smirking Alex looking at them. Lauren scowled and asked, “Can we help you?”

“I was going to ask you two the same thing considering you weren’t able to get through the door.” Alex grinned at them.

Bo shook her head and told her, “We were fine thank you very much.” She and Lauren walked into the house and Bo asked, “Have you two worked everything out?”

Alex closed the front door and said, “What are you talking about? Me and Pipes are cool. We just had a misunderstanding.”

Lauren laughed and she went to go take off her shoes, but Bo stopped her whispering, “You should leave those on.”

Lauren looked at Bo and she saw the suggestive look on her face which caused her to smirk, “Why should I Bo?”

Bo only grinned at her and Alex fake gagged then said, “Can you two please go upstairs so I can crash on the couch?”

Lauren looked at Alex and remarked, “I thought things were cool between you and Pipes?”

Alex scoffed then turned to go into the living room. Lauren bit her lip then sighed before she turned to look at Bo. She gave her a brief kiss then told her, “Go upstairs and wait for me. I want to talk to Alex a minute.”

Bo shook her head and smiled before she gave her a kiss then rested her forehead on Lauren’s. “You have a big heart and I love that about you.” She kissed Lauren’s forehead then told her, “Take all the time you need but leave those heels on.”

Lauren grinned as she watched Bo climb the stairs and once Bo had disappeared from her sight she turned to head into the living room. She plopped down on the couch next to Alex who was reading a book. “What’d you do?”

Alex looked at her over the rim of her glass and smirked, “I didn’t do anything.” She placed her bookmark in her book then closed it before saying, “We were discussing what we will be doing once we graduate and she wants to go New York while I want to go to Philly and work for my dad’s imports firm.”

Lauren didn’t see a problem considering the two cities weren’t that far from each other. Lauren nodded and said, “Okay so what is the problem?”

“Piper wants me to come to New York with her so we can get a place together but I have a guaranteed position at my dad’s firm and I’d be stupid not to take it.” Alex told her resting her head back against the couch.

Lauren in a rare display of affection towards Alex took her hand and told Alex, “Talk to Piper. Not now, but in the morning because you two yelling in the middle of the night is not high on my list of happy things. You should talk her into coming to Philadelphia with you.” Lauren smiled and pointed out,  “She’s going into environmental law so you can point out the numerous environmental issues going on in the state and I’m certain she’ll come with you.”

Alex chuckled and said, “I’ll try, but she’s set on New York for some godforsaken reason.” Alex regarded Lauren a moment then asked, “How was meeting Professor McSteamy’s friends?”

Lauren rolled her eyes and remarked, “Let’s just say if some dark haired she-demon touched my girlfriend on more time I would have shown a side of me that you would have been proud of Alex.”

Alex laughed and commented, “I’m so touched Lo. So who’s the she-demon?”

Lauren looked at Alex and shook her head deciding that Victoria was insignificant. “No one. She’s Bo’s past and she doesn’t matter anymore. Bo’s going to Italy then we’ll be going to Boston so we won’t have to worry about seeing her again.” She looked at Alex then wondered, “You good?” Alex gave her a smiled then nodded. Lauren got up and said, “Good because I’m going to go get laid.”

Alex let out a laugh then mentioned, “Can you tell Bo I’m in here? Last time I was on the couch she was headed to her office and I scared the shit out of her.”

Lauren told her that she would and bid her goodnight before heading upstairs. She was going to stop and talk Piper, but then assessed that if Alex was downstairs then Piper would most likely want to be left alone with her thoughts. She went in her and Bo’s room and the first thing that she noticed was the fact that Bo was lying on their bed completely naked then she noticed the several lit candles around the room. Lauren eyes were wide with surprise but they were focused on Bo and taking in every detail of the vision before her. Bo had her head propped up with one hand and when Lauren hadn’t said anything she smirked and asked, “Is it serious or should we be expecting a lot of yelling later on?” Lauren couldn’t form a coherent thought at the moment. Bo lying naked on their bed put her mind on one particular track and at that moment her train was close to derailing. “Lauren are you okay?”

She opened her mouth to say something then realised she had no words at moment so Lauren just chuckled and shook her head before she moved to get on the bed. When she reached the edge of it she hiked her dress up a bit then crawled on to the bed so she could straddle Bo’s thighs. Bo had lain down on her back with her hands behind her head which left her completely exposed to Lauren. Lauren bit the corner of her lip then grinned, “I leave the heels on and I come into our room to find you completely naked?”

Using a feather like touch Lauren gradually moved the tip of her finger up Bo’s midsection causing her stomach muscles to tense up sporadically as the digit trailed up her exposed skin. Bo smiled and remarked, “Plans changed. I’ll save that idea for another time.”

Lauren smiled when Bo’s breath hitched as she glided her fingertips up her rib cage and over the curve of her breast then she circled her hard nipple with her index finger. She wanted to take the sensitive nub into her mouth, but she enjoyed teasing Bo more. She gave the firm tissue a slight tug making Bo hiss then she asked, “And what makes you think you’ll have time for that sweetie?”

Lauren could tell that Bo was trying hard to pretend like she wasn’t enjoying their little game. She decided to up the stakes so she bent down and took the hard, sensitive nipple between her teeth then swirled her tongue around it. A soft gasp escaped from Bo’s mouth and her back arched up in response which pressed the soft flesh into Lauren’s face. Bo tangled her fingers into Lauren’s blonde hair as she let out a quiet groan, “There’s always time...” Lauren applied a little more pressure to the hard nipple between her teeth which caused Bo to cry out then she gave it a quick suck before she sat back up. Bo was looking at her with an agonised look on her face, “Lauren….”

Bo was using her eyes to convey to Lauren how much she wanted her mouth back on her, but Lauren had other plans. She ran the tips of her fingers up and down the tops of Bo’s thighs, close to the sensitive juncture between her legs. She gave Bo’s inner thighs a firm rub and in a low voice she asked, “What do you want Bo?”

Lauren watched Bo visibly swallow before she whispered, “I want you to touch me.”

“Where?” Lauren asked as moved her hands higher on Bo’s thighs letting her fingers graze Bo’s outer lips before trailing her hands back down her thighs.

Bo let out an unsteady breath, “Everywhere.”

Lauren arched her eyebrow up as her fingers ran back up Bo’s thigh and drifted to the inside of it. She locked eyes with Bo as her fingers grazed over the wet, sensitive lips then she held her breath as she slid a finger inside of Bo watching with utter fascination as she responded to her touch. Bo’s eyes had fluttered close and a small moan had slipped from her parted lips. As Lauren brought Bo closer to her eventual orgasm she couldn’t help but to be amazed by the way Bo’s chest rapidly rose then fell as she became short of breath. The way the colour of arousal covered her skin. But the thing that amazed her the most was the fact that Bo was so open…so vulnerable….so trusting. And the love she had for this woman overwhelmed her and she couldn’t help the tears that came to her eyes. Bo cried out her name which brought Lauren back to the task at hand and she gave Bo the necessary push that would get her to come. And when she came Lauren’s breath caught as Bo went through her orgasm. She was always beautiful when she came, but in this moment she was magnificent.  After it passed Lauren laid next to Bo and Bo cuddled up to her. Lauren was holding her and a few errant tears fell as she tried to get over the emotion that them having sex had caused. Bo let out deep breath and chuckled, “Have I told you that you are really amazing at making me come?”

Lauren let out a shaky laugh then told her, “It’s only because you’re smoking hot.”

Bo laughed and rubbed her back, “Have you been talking to Mattie?”

She laughed at the mention of her brother and remarked, “Don’t bring him up.” Lauren kissed Bo’s shoulder then murmured against it, “I love you Bo.”

Bo nuzzled her neck then kissed it before saying, “I love you too Lauren.” She kissed her neck again then smiled against it, “I think it’s time for me to get you out of this spectacular dress and return the favour.”

Lauren only laughed as Bo undid the zipper on her dress then rolled them to where she was on top of her. Bo kissed her and the tension between them, which had been reduced to a low simmer, now began to build up to an all consuming fire. Bo kissed Lauren one more time then she kissed across her jaw and up to her earlobe which she gave a quick tug with her teeth before whispering, “Round two doctor.” And that was the last thing Lauren was able to focus on before Bo’s roaming hands began to undress her.


	4. Here Comes Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters they belong to the wonderful people of Lost Girl, Showcase, Prodigy, et al. and borrowed Orange Is The New Black characters also belong to their respective studios and creators. Flashbacks are italicized.

Lauren was in Bo’s office that was located off of the living room and she was currently sitting her office chair crying. It was something that she had begun doing a few days ago because Bo’s office was the only place in the house that still held some remnants of the woman’s presence. Bo’s closet in their room was basically empty. Certain items that used to be on the bureau were now packed up or either or on their way to Italy. There were only a few things left in their room that gave the impression that Bo was still there. But in two days they would be gone just like the woman herself and Bo’s office was the only thing that still felt normal to Lauren. Bo had gone through everything in her office a few weeks ago to determine what she would be taking with her and what she would be leaving behind. And she was leaving a lot behind because it was just information on past research or studies that she didn’t think she would need in Italy. So Lauren sat in the office thinking that if she was surrounded by Bo’s work then it would provide her some sort of haven from the tumultuous emotions that she was going through. The last week had been a blur of them preparing for Bo’s departure. They had gone through the process of getting Lauren’s name put on all the household bills so she could take care of them while Bo was away and they had also setup a household account, in both their names, so Bo could wire money to it to help out with the bills even though she wasn’t living there. Lauren had argued that she, Piper, and Alex could handle the bills fine, but Bo wasn’t going to let that happen. Lauren had been able to get through all of that without shedding a single tear but the thing that had the most affect on her was when the bulk of Bo’s luggage was picked up a few days ago by the delivery service so it could be shipped to her residence in Italy. That had caused whatever emotional band-aid Lauren had in place to fail and she had begun to cry the moment the couriers left. Bo had consoled her right away and that eventually led to the two of them spending the rest of the day making love and reassuring themselves that it wasn’t time for Bo to leave yet but at the same time they were also trying to memorise every aspect of each other.

And while Bo was getting ready to leave they were also going over their plans for the next nine months. The end of the semester and graduation happened in May which meant they would have to prepare to sell the house sometime before then. Bo had assured Lauren that she would take care of everything that pertained to the sale of the house while she was overseas and that she would keep Lauren up to date on what needed to be done by her. Lauren was going to look for apartments in Boston while she was staying with her parents over the summer. She hoped that between graduation, selling the house, and finding them a place in Boston that she wouldn’t even notice that Bo was gone but she knew better than to think that. Lauren wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that she should be preparing the guest room for Bo’s mom because she was due to arrive at some point in the evening. Aife was coming into town because she wanted to be there when Bo left and they were also going to be having a family dinner tomorrow night with Lauren’s parents and her brother. Lauren closed her eyes as she hoped that she would be able to get through tomorrow night’s dinner without crying every five minutes like she had been doing the last few days any time Bo wasn’t around. The door bell rang and Lauren groaned. She wiped her eyes again then took a steadying breath before getting up and walking out of the office so she could head down the hall that lead to the living room. She walked over to the front door and moved the curtain from window so she could see who it was and she was so surprised to see who was on the front porch that she had to look again before unlocking the door. As soon as the door was open she saw the huge smile on Matt’s face as he shouted, “Surprise.”

It was a surprise indeed considering he was supposed to be coming down with her parents tomorrow. She let him in and asked, “Mattie what are you doing here-“ She stopped short when he enveloped her in rib crushing hug and picked her up which caused her to yell, “Matthew put me down.”

To add further to her annoyance Matt gave her cheek a big kiss then put her down before saying, “Bo-licious and I have been planning this for awhile. She thought you could use some family around after she leaves so I’ll be hanging around here for a week.”

“A what?” Lauren asked astounded by the fact that her girlfriend had blindsided her with this. It’s not that she didn’t love her older brother she just needed time to mentally prepare for spending time with him. And the fact that she was very emotional didn’t help matters any.

Matt headed into the living room and was looking around as he explained, “Bo gave me a call after you two invited the family over for a farewell dinner and said that she was worried about how you were going to take her leaving. So she invited me to stay a week or two just to make sure you don’t go all mental patient. Ooo this is neat.” Matt picked up one of the first editions on the bookshelf and began to flip through it.

Lauren walked over and took the book out of his hands then placed it back on the shelf asking, “What about your job? You can’t leave that for two weeks Mattie.”

He gave a nonchalant shrug as he walked through the living room, “I’m an architect Lo. The office can be without me for a week or two.” Lauren was about to argue with him but he pointed at her and countered, “That’s enough. And if you keep it up I’ll tie you up and put you in a closet like I did when we were kids.” When he was walking out of the living he shouted, “It’s a nice place you got here with Bo, Lo.” He chuckled, “BoLo. Sounds better than....what was floating around when what’s his face hooked up with that hot chick with the lips?”

Lauren rolled her eyes then responded, “Brangelina. It was Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.” She followed Matt into the kitchen. “I don’t need you to stay here for two weeks. I have Piper and Alex.”

Matt looked over at her with a sceptical look on his face then he opened the refrigerator and laughed, “Pipes and the chick she’s been doing? From what Bo’s told me they’re a little annoying.”

Lauren was a little perturbed by the fact that her girlfriend talked to her brother so much, “How often do you and Bo talk? And they’re not annoying they’re just very passionate about each other and don’t communicate well.”

Matt shook his head and chuckled, “Whatever you say. And we’ve only been talking like every other day for the last month or so because she’s worried about you Lo.” He pulled out a container of lunch meat and began to eat several slices of it. And between bites he told her, “She loves you dude and it’s killing her to leave you. So we talk because who knows you better than I do?”

“Piper.” Lauren stated a little upset that her girlfriend would rather talk to her brother instead of her.

Matt laughed then put the lunch meat away before he pulled out a bottle of beer. He opened it then tossed the cap in the sink. As he sat down on one of the barstools in front of the island he remarked, “Piper has known you for four years. I’ve known you for….twenty-one…twenty-two…” He cocked his head to the side, “How old are you again?”

Lauren covered her face. Her brother was an idiot. She didn’t answer his question but she did remark, “It’s two o’clock in the afternoon and you’re drinking?” Matt just shrugged at her and she sighed as she sat on the stool next to him, “She’s worried?”

“She’s not the only one.” He took a drink from his beer then handed it to her. Lauren took a sip from the bottle while he told her, “Mom and Dad are also worried and now that I’ve seen you myself I’m a little bit concerned too. How many times have you cried today?” He took the beer bottle from her then pointed it at her, “And don’t you lie to me. I’ll tie you up and put you in a closet.”

Lauren gave her brother a sad smile then sighed before she laid her head on top of the island, “Just twice today. About ten times in total the last few days. It’s an improvement. I was ignoring her two weeks ago.”

Matt chuckled and pointed out, “That’s unhealthy.” He rubbed her back and told her, “This is why I’m here. To remind you that Bo may be gone for a little while, but you need to keep on living because all this moping around Lo isn’t going to do you any good.” He turned and pointed at the Polaroid on refrigerator that was picture of her and Bo smiling. The camera had been one of Bo’s surprises.  “You need to be doing more of that with Bo and not all this crying you’ve been doing. I’m surprised she’s still with you. You’re a bit of an ugly crier.”

Lauren swatted his arm and countered, “I may be an ugly crier, but I am a helluva lot cuter than you are.” She sat up and ran her hand through her hair, “I know you’re right and I’m trying but I feel like I’m losing a huge part of myself.”

Matt rolled his eyes and scoffed. He finished off the beer then moved off the bar stool and as he walked over to the refrigerator he wondered, “Who are you? Because the Lauren I know would rationalise the hell out of this. Where is the cold, emotionally detached Lo who didn’t even cry when our dog got hit by a car?”

“Are you serious right now Matthew?” She shook her head and snapped, “You’re getting Bo more beer.”

He took a long pull from the bottle then countered, “Don’t be mean because you’re having a personality crisis.”

Lauren got off the barstool and argued, “I’m not having a personality crisis Matthew. You comparing my relationship with Bo to the death of our dog is like comparing apples to oranges. And you’re trying to simplify a situation that cannot be simplified.” Tears began to form in her eyes, “How much love I feel for Bo is overwhelming Matt and I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. So how else am I to react? Please tell me so I can act in a way that is appropriate for everyone. I’ve stopped avoiding her. I’ve plastered on this happy, but fake ass mask for everyone and now everyone is concerned. So Matthew please tell me how I should be reacting to my girlfriend leaving me?”

The expression on Matt’s face had changed into one that she hadn’t seen in a long time and he set his beer bottle down before he walked over and hugged her. Lauren held on tight to her brother as she gave into the tears that she had been holding back. It was an uninhibited cry that she desperately needed because she had been trying to ward it off so she could make Bo’s last few days all about Bo and not about her. But she now realised the emotional toll it was taking on her. Matt rubbed her back and said, “You’re acting like you’re supposed to Lauren and I’m sorry. But have you talked to Bo about how you feel?”

Lauren sniffed and gave him a muffled reply, “We’ve talked about it to death and at this point we both know we’re sad and that we feel like we’re losing a part of ourselves but there is nothing that we can do about it.”

Lauren’s head rose as Matt took a deep breath then he slowly let it out telling her, “Well then you cry and stop holding it in. You have the right to be sad. And that way when Bo leaves you’ll be all cried out but at least you’ll have gotten over it and you’ll be ready get through the next year.”

“It’s nine months.” Lauren corrected him as she got out of his hug. She wiped her face then said, “And I hope I’m all cried out soon. I’m done with it. I miss being the cold, emotionally detached Lauren who dissected your pet frog for fun.”

Matt gave her a gentle shove and scoffed, “I knew you did that.” He gave her a quick hug then kissed the side of her head before whispering, “And I have to say that I like in love Lo more than cold Lo. Even if she’s a bit of a crier. You’re happy and that looks amazing on you.” Lauren might have found her big brother annoying at times and she may have thought he was an ass a majority of the time, but the one thing that was always constant about him was that he always supported her. No matter what. Matt let go of her then said, “Come on let’s go grab some food and you can tell me what you and Bo-licious have been up to.”

Lauren rolled her eyes and commented, “Trust me you do not want to know anything about it. All we’ve done is either argue or cry or pretended to be happy.”

Matt laughed then he got a mischievous grin on his face, “Well you know what would be a good send off for Bo?” Lauren got an apprehensive look on her face. She was afraid of where her brother was about to take this conversation. His grin got bigger than the Cheshire cat’s grin, “I hear there was a little present that was given to you that you have yet to wear....”

“Oh my god Matthew!” Lauren was aghast by her brother’s mention of the lingerie that Bo had gotten her for Christmas. She started hitting him, “How the fuck do you know about that? I should kick your ass for mentioning it.”

Matt was laughing and as he ran away from her he shouted, “It was mentioned once. I swear we were joking around one day and I realised Bo wasn’t joking.” He cocked his eyebrow up as she remarked, “Gotta say sis didn’t think you had the assets to-“

Lauren ran after her brother then jumped on his back and put him in a headlock yelling, “Do not say another word Matthew or I’m telling dad that you gambled away half of the money he gave you to help you with your car.”

“Okay. Okay. Okay.” Lauren got off his back and once she was on the floor she cuffed him over the head, “Ow. And you shouldn’t be taking your anger out on me. It’s your girlfriend’s fault.”

Lauren scoffed and remarked, “Oh I know and she will get what she deserves as well.”

She got her coat and put it on. They walked out of the house and as she was locking the front door she heard Matt remark, “I’m certain you will be putting her in a different headlock.”

She bolted after him and they started playing around as they walked to Matt’s car. This was what Lauren needed. A distraction from the constant melancholy that had been following her for the last few weeks even though she was a little upset with Bo for inviting Matt over without any warning, but she was glad that her brother would be around to keep her mind off the fact that Bo was gone once she left.

* * *

 

 Bo got home a little after five that evening and she could hear laughter coming from sitting room and right away she was able to recognise Matt’s laugh. Bo chuckled as she was taking off her coat. She had been talking to Matt for the last month or so because she was worried about Lauren and he was the only one who really understood Lauren’s personality. It’s not to say that Piper didn’t but it was hard for Bo to hold a conversation with the woman because she was Lauren’s best friend. Matt on the other hand knew his sister could be stubborn and reserved and had no problem agreeing with Bo about the fact that Lauren was the hardest person to get to open up especially if something was bothering her. After she hung up her coat Bo walked into the sitting room and she saw Piper and Alex on the love seat while Lauren and Matt were sitting on the small couch. They were all engaged in whatever Piper was saying and the first thing Bo had noticed was the fact that Lauren looked happier than she had in the last month. And Bo was a little jealous by the fact that she wasn’t responsible for the look on the younger woman’s face but that thought was quickly erased when Lauren looked at her. The smile on Lauren’s face grew before she jumped out of her seat and ran over to Bo. Before Bo could get a word out Lauren’s mouth was on hers and Bo held on tight to her waist and enjoyed the ride. Bo let Lauren set the pace of the kiss as well as letting her decide how far it would go. The kiss went further than Bo expected and she forgot all about the fact that they had an audience. Lauren’s tongue thoroughly explored her mouth and Bo couldn’t hold back the moan that rumbled in her throat. It wasn’t until a sharp whistle broke through their lust filled bubble and brought Bo back to reality. She gave Lauren one more kiss before pulling back. Bo looked Lauren in her eyes and smiled as Piper remarked, “I’m surprised we didn’t get a free show.”

Matt groaned and said, “That’s my sister you sicko.”

Bo chuckled as she ran her fingers through Lauren’s hair, “Well I’m not going to stop a hot blonde who wants to jump my bones.” She kissed Lauren and murmured, “What did I do to deserve that?”

Lauren wrapped her arms around Bo’s midsection then buried her face in Bo’s neck and whispered, “Because I love you and I might be a bit drunk.” Lauren let out a soft laugh then she moved away from Bo saying, “You didn’t tell me Mattie was coming and that he would be staying with us for two weeks.”

Bo grimaced a bit but she did point out, “But you look so happy sweetie.” She got a smile on her face and placed her hands on Lauren’s cheeks, “I haven’t seen you this happy in so long and I’m sorry for that.” Bo bit the inside of her lip as she looked into the twinkling brown eyes looking at her. Her heart swelled with love and she began to think about the fact that in two days she wouldn’t be able to look into Lauren’s big brown eyes and contemplate about how much she adored her. Bo’s vision became blurry and she dropped her hands then turned away from Lauren so she could wipe her eyes. She was certain that if Lauren saw her crying then the blonde would also cry. Matt walked over to them and said, “Alright you two love birds enough with this mushy shit. Let’s get Bo a drink and have her join us in an interesting game of drunk scrabble.”

Lauren scoffed, “Not scrabble because you cheat. You use quote, un-quote ‘architect’ words and use them to try to win.”

“Well you try to use genius words to win.” Matt countered.

Bo watched the exchange between Lauren and Matt with a smirk on her face. Watching the two of them interact was a little entertaining because Matt, who looked like a tall lumberjack complete with a full beard, was bickering with the adorable blonde about who was the bigger cheater at scrabble. Bo began to chuckle and she knew she had to break the two of them up because a drunk Lauren also meant a mean Lauren. Bo took Lauren’s hand and told her, “Come on let’s go get me a drink then we can probably get away with playing a friendly round of poker and there will be no bickering between you two.”

Lauren turned and looked at Bo and right away Bo knew something highly inappropriate was about to come out of that pretty mouth of hers. The gleam in Lauren’s eyes along with the seductive look on her face was a dead giveaway. “Or.....” Lauren drawled out as she stalked closer to Bo. When there was less than an inch of space between them Lauren ran the tip of her finger across Bo’s jaw before she continued, “You and I can go upstairs and play a more interesting version of poker.”

Bo‘s breath caught and she tried to control her bodily reactions to Lauren’s not so subtle overture, but she failed miserably. She felt her skin heat up and the sensation radiated throughout the rest of her body before it all culminated to an acute throb between her legs. Bo struggled to swallow so she could moisten her suddenly dry throat then she cleared it before saying, “We have a guest and I think we should spend some time with your brother.”

The next expression that Lauren got on her face almost made Bo cave. Lauren got a small pout on her and asked, “Do we have to?”

How the blonde could be adorable and seductive at the same time was something Bo could not comprehend but both versions of the woman had a tendency to undo her. So she was amazed when she heard herself say, “Yes we have to.”

Lauren turned around and headed into the sitting room then plopped down on the couch. Bo closed her eyes and tried to get her breathing back to a normal rhythm. How she was able to deny Lauren when her body was craving to touch the woman was beyond her understanding but all she knew was that she really needed that drink now. She walked into the room and headed to the bar to make herself a drink. Bo got a tall glass and made a very strong drink. Once she had consumed a good amount of it she walked over and sat next to Lauren. Alex smiled at her and remarked, “I hope you know you’ve ruined her night.”

Bo grinned as she looked at Lauren out the corner of her eye, “The night is still young.” She took hold of Lauren’s hand then kissed the back of it before asking, “So who wants to play some poker?”

They played several hands of poker and ordered pizza for dinner. It had been a fun night for Bo and it was something that she had needed considering how much stress she had been under the last week. From getting all the paperwork in order to setting up everything so Lauren had access to all the household accounts with no problem to making sure she had everything packed Bo was close to having a mental breakdown so a relaxing night was much needed. Despite all the stress of the last week it still flew by in a haze and everything felt so surreal for Bo. But when the courier came to pick up her luggage a few days ago reality hit her hard and the fact that she was leaving caused a crippling ache to form in her chest that she tried not to let get to her. She been successful for a brief moment but the attempt was short lived because Lauren had been walking down the stairs as the rest of her suitcases were being taken out of the house and the look Bo had seen on her face caused a devastating sadness to overcome her. So she and Lauren spent the rest of the day immersing themselves in each other and their love. And as it got closer to her leaving she and Lauren spent as much time together as humanly possible. The only time they were separated was when it was necessary for Lauren to go to class or if Bo had an errand to run and even then they were only separated for an hour.

They had been spending their final days together by doing touristy things around town and having fun together instead of giving into the gray cloud that loomed over them constantly. And for each excursion Bo made sure that she brought the Polaroid camera that Lauren had given her as a surprise. The gift had been a wonderful idea because Bo was using it at every moment possible. She had taken several pictures of Lauren sleeping so that way when she was in Italy she could wake up to a sleeping Lauren. But her favourite one by far was the one where Lauren was on the sofa in the sitting room doing her homework and she had her legs tucked under her while her blonde hair hung loosely over her left shoulder as she concentrated. It was a moment that was a regular occurrence for them but for some reason that day when Bo looked at Lauren her breath was taken away by Lauren’s natural beauty. That Polaroid Bo had framed and put on her desk in her office.

Bo tossed down the small stack of cards that she was holding and said, “I think Lauren’s right. You’re a filthy cheater.”

Matt laughed and told her, “How did I cheat? You dealt the cards.”

She and Matt were the only ones that were still up. Alex and Piper had said that they were going to bed earlier but everyone else knew better than to believe that because the two of them had been overly touchy with each other throughout the night. And Lauren was still in the sitting room but at some point during the night she found Bo’s lap to be a more comfortable sitting spot, so she was sitting sideways on Bo’s lap sleeping with her head resting on her shoulder. Bo rubbed Lauren’s back and countered, “You still cheated it. One more hand?”

Matt stretched and groaned before saying, “Nah I think I’ll hit the sack. You need any help with her or do you need me to clean up or anything?”

Bo placed a soft kiss on Lauren’s forehead. She wasn’t quite ready to wake the slumbering blonde so she shook her head no, “I think I’ve got it all.” She watched Matt get out of the arm chair and she smiled at him as she said, “Thanks for coming Matt. I really do appreciate it.”

He gave her a quick lopsided grin and replied, “You don’t have to thank me Bo.” Then he got a sincere look on his face when told her, “She’s going to be a mess when you leave. I’ve never seen her so involved with someone and that’s saying a lot because I’m her brother.” He chuckled, “For the first ten years of her life she didn’t want anything to do with me. But you...” Matt looked Bo in the eyes as he stated, “She’s going to be devastated when you go and I’m afraid I won’t know how to help her.”

Bo held onto Lauren a little tighter and sighed, “Just be there for her Matt. Although I’ve got a couple layovers so I’ll call her every chance I can, but I’m certain it won’t do too much.” The two of them were quite a moment then Bo remembered something that she wanted say, “Oh and Matt don’t annoy her too much. She might hurt you.”

Matt laughed and said, “Too late. Alright Bo I’m going to bed.”

He walked out of the room and Bo listened to his heavy footsteps as he climbed the stairs. She sat there with Lauren on her lap and enjoyed the perfectness of the moment. This was most likely the last time she would be able to do this so she wanted to try to enjoy as much of it as possible. Tonight had been one of the most carefree nights she and Lauren had this last week so wanting to bask in it a little longer wasn’t a bad thing. Eventually Bo had to resign to the fact that she needed to get Lauren to bed. The woman had drunk enough alcohol that Bo knew she was going to regret it in the morning considering Lauren didn’t drink that frequently. She kissed Lauren’s forehead then whispered, “Lauren....” Bo let out a small chuckle as Lauren only buried her face further into her neck. Bo knew it was going to take more to wake Lauren out of her alcohol induced sleep. She moved Lauren and immediately regretted not taking Matt up on his offer to help her. Lauren was dead to the world and Bo knew there was going to be no way for her to get her upstairs. She manoeuvred her onto the couch then Bo got up and went into the living room to get a blanket. Bo went back into the sitting room and she turned off all the lights before getting on the couch behind Lauren. She covered them both up with a blanket thankful that she had chosen a wide couch for the room. Lauren cuddled up to her and murmured, “I knew you’d realise that moving me was pointless.”

Bo chuckled and wrapped her arm around Lauren then pulled her close to her as she wondered, “Were you faking?”

Lauren let out a tired, half-chuckle, “Only a little.”

“Are you good with sleeping down here?” Bo asked wanting to make sure that Lauren was comfortable.

Bo felt Lauren snake her hand up the back of her shirt and idly rub her back as she mumbled, “More than good.”

It was quite and as the minutes dragged on Bo believed Lauren had gone back to sleep, but as she got comfortable and prepared to fall asleep herself she heard Lauren say in a barely audible voice, “Bo...” Bo hummed her response and Lauren asked, “Do you have to go?”

It was an unexpected question and the spontaneity of it mixed in with how small Lauren sounded of caused Bo’s heart to clench, but she gave Lauren an honest answer. “I don’t have to Lauren but I want to. It’ll be a wonderful experience for me.” She pause for a second then added, “Plus it’ll get us used to when one of us travels while the other one goes away because I’m certain when you become the fancy doctor you’re going to be, you’ll be doing all this travelling and you’ll have to leave me behind. By then we’ll be used to it.” Bo sighed and kissed the top of Lauren’s head, “I think it’s just hard this time because we’re still new, you and I, but once we’re together for say like five years it won’t be as bad.”

Lauren didn’t say anything for the longest time and Bo didn’t know whether she was crying or asleep. Bo was surprised when Lauren lifted her head and looked at her before saying, “You leaving me or me leaving you will never get easy Bo. You are like an extended part of me and to have that part gone hurts and it leaves behind an empty space. The only thing that changes is the fact that I’ll get better with how I deal with it.” Lauren rested her head back on Bo’s shoulder and Bo didn’t know if she should let her process her feelings or if she should try to talk to her. Bo felt Lauren exhale against her neck and her warm breath heated up the area. “You see us together in five years?”

Bo was relieved that they weren’t going to have the same loaded conversation again. She chuckled a little then said, “I have no other vision for the future.”

Lauren exhaled again and Bo knew that was the end of the conversation because Lauren had tightened her grip on Bo’s midsection and buried her face back into her neck. Lauren had been right though. Once they were apart Bo knew she was going to feel like she was missing some part of herself, but at the same time she knew that in order for them to grow as people they would need to do the things that required them to be apart. Bo got comfortable and as sleep came to her she thought about the next two days then about how emotional both her and Lauren would be. She let out a breath and hoped that they would be able to get through them with minimal damage.

* * *

 

 Dinner was in full swing and everyone was enjoying themselves. Lauren  was looking around the table as she tried to decide if that was because of the wine or because of the inappropriate joke her brother had told which had been instigated by her girlfriend. Bo had made a loaded comment about indulging her more expensive taste while in Italy and Matt had taken it upon himself to remind her that she could indulge her taste more locally and not spend so much money. The both of them laughed while everyone except Lauren looked completely confused by why the conversation was hilarious to the other two. Lauren just scowled and told them to knock it off. Bo had just apologised when Lauren’s mom said, “Lauren don’t look so upset. I’m certain Bo will be sending you all sorts of presents from Italy.” Her mom grinned and remarked, “I’m certain you are never far from her mind.”

“Or reach.” Alex commented with a mouth full of lasagne.

Lauren was done with current conversation at the table so she got up to go get herself another glass of wine. She walked over to the island with her glass and poured herself a small amount. Other than the sudden turn in the conversation dinner had been a jovial, tear-free event which Lauren was thankful for but she owed that to the present company she had around her. Her day hadn’t begun to well when she woke up to a pounding headache and the fact that she and Bo were on the couch in the sitting room. She didn’t mean to drink that much last night but between the relaxed atmosphere and Lauren being able to be around Bo without thinking about her impending departure caused her to drink a bit more than she normally would. After she had recovered from her headache she and Bo spent the day getting everything ready for dinner and they also had to prepare the guest room for Bo’s mom. She and Bo had been good the whole day which was weird considering that Bo was leaving in less than twenty-four hours. Lauren took a sip of wine as she realised that she hadn’t been able to stop and think about Bo leaving for too long thanks to the fact that she had been busy all day. Matt also provided her a distraction from her thoughts because he was either doing something to annoy her or he was doing something that pissed her off. And the subtle comments Bo had been making to Lauren throughout the day had also taken her mind off of what would be happening tomorrow morning. Lauren eyed the dining table from where she stood at the island and looked at Bo who was laughing at something her dad had just said. She felt a sharp pang in her heart. She was going to miss seeing that smile in person. Lauren took another drink from her glass and as she placed it down Bo looked at her. Lauren chuckled as she wondered if her girlfriend had a sixth sense about when she was upset. She started to clean up the mess from dinner to prevent her mind from dwelling on the miserable thoughts. Lauren heard footsteps behind her and Piper said, “I was sent to tell you that there is no need for the face you’re making because you are surrounded by family.”

Lauren chuckled as she began to put away the lasagne. She looked at Piper and smirked, “I am surrounded by family, but I’m allowed to be sad that my girlfriend is leaving me in less than twenty-four hours.” Lauren pointed to the pie on the counter, “Go take that to the table. I don’t want my mom to say I didn’t serve it just to spite her.”

Piper laughed and commented, “Your mother thinks you do a lot of things to spite her. Although she seems to be quite fond of Bo. I think I see her planning your wedding already.”

Lauren whipped her head around to look at Piper. Her eyes were wide with panic as she stammered, “Wed-W-We-What?”

Piper began to laugh while Lauren continued to look at her with a horrified look on her face. This wasn’t funny and if her mother had some preconceived notion about her and Bo getting married then she needed to talk to her because there is no way that she was ready for marriage. She was still in college and she had medical school to focus on later in the year. She wasn’t ready to be someone’s wife. She wasn’t ready to be Bo’s wife. She had a long way to go before she could be Bo’s wife. Bo deserved someone who had their life together. Not someone who was still an undergrad and barely had her life started. Lauren started freaking out and she exclaimed, “Piper I cannot marry Bo. She deserves so much better than me. I can barely put in a service call to have the fucking dryer fixed. She deserves someone who isn’t going to be some exhausted medical student because that’s what I’ll be in less than a year.” Lauren began to hyperventilate, “Oh god I can’t-I-I-“

“Here, here, here.” Piper said handing her a glass of water.

Lauren took the glass of water and began to drink the entire glass then she heard Bo ask, “Hey what’s the matter? You okay?” Lauren heard the worried tone in Bo’s voice when she wondered, “Piper what did you do?”

Lauren took a deep breath then placed the glass of water on the counter next to the stove saying, “Piper didn’t do anything. I-I-” Lauren didn’t know what to say so she sighed, “I had a moment.”

Bo gave Lauren a sceptical look and asked, “A moment?” Lauren nodded and ran her hand through her hair. Bo looked like she didn’t believe her, but she sighed and said, “I was told to come get pie so I came to get pie.”

Lauren nodded and turned around so she could get the small plates out of the cabinet and so she could take a couple deep breaths. She knew Piper had been joking but the thought of marrying Bo thoroughly freaked her out. She felt a hand on her shoulder and Bo asked her again, “Are you okay?”

Lauren took a deep breath and thought of the happiest moment she could think of so that she could put a genuine smile on her face. She turned around and told Bo, “Of course I am sweetie. Now go take the pie over before my mom comes over here and decides that she can be a better hostess than me.”

Bo still had a questioning look on her face but she didn’t press Lauren further to figure out what was wrong with her. Bo took the plates from her and got the pie then said, “Can you grab some forks? Oh and while everyone enjoys pie we can clean up.”

Lauren internally swore because she knew Bo helping her meant that she was going to find some subtle way to get her to talk about what had caused her mild freak out and she didn’t want to talk marriage with Bo. They were barely six month into their relationship. The way she had reacted to the joke had been overdramatic and she mentally berated herself for acting like an idiot. She and Bo took the pie over to the table and Matt commented, “We had to send the big guns over considering Piper is pretty much useless.”

“You’re such an asshole sometimes Matthew.” Piper retorted and Matt only laughed her which caused the scowl on Piper’s face to get worse.

Lauren shook her head and pointed out, “Piper you’ve got to stop giving him ammo to piss you off.”

Alex scoffed and chuckled, “Yeah well-“ She stopped then smiled at Piper, “She’s got a point babe.”

Piper glared at Alex and demanded, “No. Finish what you were going to say Alex.”

Lauren looked at Alex who looked like a deer caught in headlights and it would have been comical if Piper wasn’t getting upset. Luckily Aife steered the conversation to a safer topic. “Now Bo will you be jumping into your work once you land or will you have a moment to rest and take in some of the sites?”

Lauren chuckled as she realised that Bo being able to eloquently change a topic was an inherited trait and not a learned one. Bo was walking back into the kitchen when she said, “I’ve been coordinating with the head of the department about what topics they want me to cover which I’m beyond excited about because a lot of the topics they want me to cover I can’t discuss over here due to the fact that it’s deemed ‘inappropriate’ which is bull shit if you ask me. I feel talking about the female orgasm and how it’s pivotal to-“

“Bo.” Lauren called out in loud voice as she was clearing dishes from the table. She had to stop Bo from going off on a tangent that would lead to an uncomfortable discussion about female ejaculation. The first time she had heard the rant was when she and Bo had sex in Bo’s car the first time. At the time Lauren let Bo go off on her rant because she found it to be a turn on, but a family dinner was not the appropriate venue for the subject.

Bo gave her a cheeky grin and asked, “Not the time?” Lauren shook her head no and Bo chuckled, “Okay. But just know I am really excited about the freedom I have.”

“I know you are but now is not the time for you to talk about your passion.” Lauren said with a smile on her face.

Bo bit her lip as she tried not to smile but a wide smile broke out on her face when she said, “You do know I find it adorable when you get all stern with me right?”

Lauren looked at Bo one more second before she finished clearing the dishes from the table. She was getting the dirty dishes that were in front of her mom when the older woman said, loud enough for only Lauren to hear, “She completely adores you. So dear please don’t let this separation cause you to do anything rash.”

Lauren shook her head and remarked, “I’m not going to do anything rash mom.”

Matt chuckled and said, “That’s funny coming from you considering you make a lot of rash decisions when you’re emotional. “ He started to laugh harder as he recalled, “You remember when I pissed you off because I wouldn’t give you a ride to that art exhibit so to get back at me you told mom and dad about my motorcycle in hopes of getting me in trouble?”

Lauren scowled, “I do remember and that backfired quickly considering mom and dad already knew about it.”

She carried the arm load of dishes into the kitchen and set them on the counter next to the sink. She was walking by Bo, who was putting the extra sauce in a Tupperware bowl, but when Lauren passed by her she stopped what she was doing so she could grab hold of Lauren’s waist. Bo spun her around so she could plant a brief but intense kiss on her lips which took Lauren by surprise. It lasted only a moment and when Lauren pulled back Bo whispered against her ear, “No more moments. Only good thoughts for the rest of the night. Okay?”

Lauren looked into Bo’s eyes and saw the questioning look in them already knowing that she would agree because this was one thing that she could to give Bo. It was her last night with her family and there was no need to let hypothetical jokes to ruin the night. Bo would be gone in less than twenty-four hours and Lauren wanted to focus on the rest of their night together. She gave Bo a quick kiss then told her, “Only good thoughts.” The smile Bo got on her face made Lauren’s heart race and she returned it as she let the love she felt for Bo fill her up which made her feel nothing but happiness.

* * *

 

 The alarm went off and Lauren reached over to turn it off. She stared at the glowing, green numbers of the digital clock. She had yet to go to sleep and now it was time to get up. Time for Bo to leave. A wave of sadness came over her and Lauren shut her eyes letting the events of the previous night fill her mind. _After telling Aife goodnight she and Bo headed to their room and Bo was leading the way. Soon as the door was closed Lauren leaned against it and watched as Bo took off the sweater that she was wearing. Her eyes took in every movement that Bo made then once she had the heavy, wool sweater off she tossed it on the chair in the corner before her eyes met Lauren’s. There was an unspoken tension in the air and the nonverbal communication between them conveyed more than words would ever be able to. Bo walked closer to Lauren and when she was close enough she buried both of her hands in her hair. Their eyes remained locked on each other even as the rising excitement between them threatened the small amount of self-control that they both tried to hold on to. With one passionate look  Bo had managed to stop Lauren’s breath yet at the same time it made her feel like she was the only thought on the brunette’s mind. And when Bo kissed her it only confirmed what she felt. It was a slow, agonizing kiss but that single kiss held so much meaning behind it that it made Lauren’s heart pound in her chest._ Lauren’s eyes opened when she felt a gentle kiss being placed on her bare shoulder.

Bo heard the alarm go off and she had felt Lauren move to turn it off but the other woman remained lying on her side looking away from her. Bo bit her bottom lip and looked up at the ceiling as she replayed the last few hours in her mind. _The urge to kiss Lauren had been something she wasn’t going to deny herself anymore. This was going to be her last night with the woman she loved and she was going to spend every minute of it showing Lauren how much she loved her and how much she would miss her. Bo held on tighter to Lauren’s waist as the kiss deepened. The feel of their bodies pressing together added to Bo’s arousal but she didn’t give into it. She was going to go slow and take her time. She wanted to every part of this night burned into her memory._ Bo rolled over and pressed her lips against the soft skin of Lauren’s shoulder. She took a deep breath and let scent of the woman she had grown accustomed to waking up to invade her senses.

Lauren rolled over to look at Bo and neither said a word as they looked into each others’ eyes. She reached out and brushed a wayward strand of Bo’s hair behind her ear. Lauren studied every feature of Bo’s face. She started with the smooth skin of her forehead then moved down to her beautiful cheekbones before looking back into her captivating eyes. Then Lauren’s eyes dropped down and took in Bo’s strong yet delicate jaw line before they landed upon her sensuous, full lips. Lauren let her fingertips run over the jaw she had just studied then she brought them up to Bo’s soft lips where she traced her bottom lip with a light touch. It had only been hours before when that same mouth had been giving her the most exquisite pleasure she had ever experienced. _Bo moved against her in one fluid motion. The thigh that she had firmly pressed against Lauren’s sensitive, wet centre glided smoothly against her aroused flesh and it was bringing Lauren closer to the orgasm that threatened to overcome all five of her senses. But as the aching, but pleasurable, throb was about to reach its pinnacle Bo stopped all her movement. Lauren cried out but she was silenced by a kiss and when she looked into Bo’s eyes as she pulled back there was a promise in then that told Lauren that she would not suffer for long. As Bo moved down Lauren’s lithe body she made sure no part of Lauren went untouched or un-kissed and when Bo was lying between her legs neither looked away as Bo took the bundle of excruciatingly sensitive nerves in her mouth.  Soft gasps and low moans filled the quiet room as Bo’s tongue and mouth brought Lauren back to the point in which she thought she would surely lose herself to the pleasure she was feeling. And as much as she wanted to lie back on the bed and let herself drown in the sensation of her orgasm she didn’t. Her eyes remained locked on Bo’s even as the most intense orgasm resonated throughout her entire body. Lauren had a tight hold of Bo’s hand as she came and the bliss and love she felt in that moment washed over her. And when it passed she fell back onto the bed hoping that Bo never stopped touching her._

Bo took hold of Lauren’s hand and she kissed her fingertips before moving closer to her so she could place a gentle kiss on her lips. Bo relished in the feeling of having Lauren’s lips on her own and right away she was taken back to their night of love making. _Lauren’s hand clung tightly to her back and her blunt nails dug into Bo’s skin as their pace increased. Lauren had two of her fingers buried deep inside Bo and the agile fingers were stroking parts of her that made her beg for more. Yet at the same time Bo had her own fingers inside Lauren and she was focused enough that she was able  to stimulate the parts of the blonde that made her call out Bo’s name and scratch her back. Bo eagerly sought out Lauren’s mouth and their lips met in a fervent kiss that was driven by their impending climaxes. Their teeth nipped and tugged at each other’s lips before their tongues engaged in a wild, tantalising dance that only encouraged the passion between them. Lauren broke the kiss and rested her forehead against Bo’s. Their eyes met then a few seconds later Lauren let out a shuddering gasp and Bo felt her muscles clench around her fingers which was enough to cause her own orgasm. They shared the same breath as they both got swept away in the passion that consumed them while they continued to cling to each other. Never wanting to let go of the moment or each other._ Bo gave Lauren one more kiss before she moved to get out of bed. As much as she didn’t want to leave Lauren, or their bed, they had to get up and face the reality that awaited them.

Lauren watched as Bo got out of the bed and she admired the naked expanse of her back noticing the red scratch marks on it. She reached out then ran her fingers over them and Bo glanced over her shoulder at her with a smile on her face. With one look Lauren knew Bo appreciated the violent marks on her back but she also knew what she appreciated even more was the moment that had put them there. _Lauren had woken up to Bo placing soft kisses on her neck and she let out a quiet moan. She had fallen asleep after her last orgasm had left her completely spent but it was becoming quite obvious that her girlfriend had other things on her mind besides sleep. Lauren rolled to where she was lying on her back and the moment she rested back on the bed Bo was on top of her and placing a breathtaking kiss on her lips. All Lauren could do was bury her hand into Bo’s wild hair and go with whatever pace the woman wanted to set. Her hips unconsciously began to move and she started grind against Bo’s hip. Bo broke the kiss and looked at her with a smirk on her face. Lauren bit her lip and continued the movement of her lower half as the building excitement demanded some sort of relief. She felt the light graze of Bo’s fingertips across her pelvic bone and it continued to move closer to the heated juncture between her legs. Lauren stopped her movement as she waited with bated breath for Bo’s next move. She felt the light touch of Bo’s fingers on her saturated lips then the fingers slid between them and Bo coated them in the liquid evidence of her arousal before she teased her opening. Bo raised an eyebrow at her and Lauren nodded. Needing no further permission Bo slowly entered her and Lauren’s hips lifted up to meet the invading digits that caressedr the textured muscles that cried out for the necessary friction that would bring them relief. Bo didn’t pick up the pace when Lauren’s body had gotten used to the invasion and the look of love and adoration was written all over her face. Their love filled the space between and around them and it was so heavy that Lauren thought that it was an almost tangible presence in the room. She had lost herself in Bo’s eyes and when her orgasm hit her it had taken her by surprised and she dragged her nails down Bo’s back as a strangled cry filled the room._ Lauren watched as Bo walk around the bed and moved towards the bathroom. She bit her bottom lip as a rush sadness came over her and her eyes filled with tears. Lauren sat up and shook her head causing a few tears to fall. As she wiped them away she let out a soft chuckle thinking that her attempt of not crying today didn’t last too long. She took a deep breath and got out of bed so she could join Bo for one final shower together.

* * *

 

 They were running late. Bo and Lauren’s shower had run a lot longer than expected due to the fact that when Bo was holding Lauren under the hot spray Lauren’s desire came over her and she had given into it wanting to feel and touch Bo one more time. As soon as they were finished it had been a mad dash of Bo getting the rest of her things packed and Lauren to waking up everyone who was coming to the airport to see Bo off. It would only be herself, Bo’s mom, and Matt at the airport. Her mom and dad had wished Bo safe travels the night before when they were leaving and Alex and Piper had done the same thing before they headed out for the night. Lauren hadn’t been able to watch them tell her goodbye so she had gone into the kitchen to get herself a glass of wine in an attempt focus on something other than the goodbyes that were being said in the foyer. The drive to the airport had been quiet. And it seemed as though Matt and Aife knew not to talk because the unspoken dread between Bo and Lauren was palpable and had a significant effect on everyone in the car. Traffic had been light so the drive to the airport had been quicker than Lauren wanted and she bit her lip as her stomach knotted up when she saw the sign for departures.  She had to make a conscious effort to breathe as they pulled into the parking garage.

Bo guided the car into the parking spot and shut off the engine. It had been a quiet drive and she hadn’t said anything because she didn’t know what to say along with the fact that she didn’t want to cry. She and Lauren spent one last time together in the shower but Bo felt as if that hadn’t been enough and she had wanted more but they had to go. She had a flight to be on and an opportunity waiting for her. But as she drove the closer they got to the airport the more she felt the urge to turn the car around and drive them some place other than the airport. She didn’t think it would be this hard to leave Lauren. She was used to travelling and she was use to leaving her family and friends while she went to go do a lecture or speak at some school. But leaving Lauren was the hardest thing for her to do and she couldn’t rationalise it enough to keep her emotions at bay. Bo felt the prickling sensation of tears and to avoid crying she got out the car then walked to the back of it so she could get her carry-on and handbag out of the trunk.

Bo had gotten out of the car without so much as a glance to Lauren and Lauren felt as though her heart was going to break into a million tiny pieces. She let her head fall back against the headrest and she closed her eyes so she could take a moment to get her feelings in order. She felt a heavy hand place itself on her shoulder and it followed up with a quick squeeze. An errant tear fell as she let out a soft, small laugh. Lauren looked back to see Matt’s hazel eyes were full of concern and sadness for her. She placed her hand on his then gave him a reassuring smile before taking a deep breath and getting out of the car. Bo was leaning against the back of the car and Lauren saw her shoulders give a slight shake and she knew right away that Bo’s emotions had gotten the best of her. Lauren walked over and wrapped her arms around Bo and Bo buried her face in her neck as she quietly cried. Lauren stroked her hair hoping that it would soothe her girlfriend but she knew it was pointless because Bo had done the same to her in the days coming to this but it did nothing to dull the acute ache in her heart or soul.

Bo was able to get herself back together and she stood up straight then wiped her eyes. Lauren was looking at her with a questioning look on her face and Bo thought her girlfriend looked so mature that it broke her heart to think about how much of Lauren’s personal growth she would miss while she was gone. She felt as if she would cry again and Bo shook her head before giving Lauren a tearful smile. Lauren squeezed her hand and they made their way into the airport and like the car ride no one said a word. Allowing the two women the space they needed to enjoy their final moments together. When they entered the airport they stopped right before the corridor that led to the various airplane gates. Bo said bye to her mother who gave her a tight hug and told her to be safe then demanded that she take a break from calling Lauren and give her a call once a day. She then gave Matt a hug who requested that she call him and tell him all about the food along with the sexy Italian women.  After she was out of Matt’s rib crushing hug he and her mother walked away to give her and Lauren some sort of privacy.

Bo took hold of Lauren’s hands and their eyes meet in a tearful gaze. It was a full minute before either of them said anything. Lauren let out a small, breathless chuckle, “I don’t have to remind you to call me do I?”

“No.” Came Bo’s quite response. She reached up and cupped Lauren’s cheek and Lauren’s eye fluttered closed as Bo ran the pad of her thumb softly across her cheekbone. She couldn’t do this. There was no way she could leave this beautiful, captivating woman for nine months. “I can’t do this Lauren.”

Lauren got a small smile on her face, “Yes you can Bo.”

Bo shook her head no and tears fell as she explained, “I can’t. You are a part of me and I can’t leave the most important part of me behind for nine months. I can’t do it Lauren.”

Lauren moved closer to her and whispered, “You’re not leaving me behind Bo. I’ll always be with you. We’ll call each other and-“

“No it’s not the same Lauren and you know it.” Bo said her voice breaking as the tears began to fall. She wiped at her eyes, “I’ll miss your presence. I’ll miss holding you and being able to lose myself in you. I can’t leave that or you behind. So I’m not going.”

Bo was being emotional and she didn’t care. All she cared about was not leaving Lauren. Lauren’s heart broke at the look of pain on Bo’s face and she leant in to give her a kiss before resting her forehead on Bo’s. As quiet sobs shook Bo’s body Lauren was having trouble finding her voice to say the words that she wanted to say. She took a deep breath and said, “Bo you have to go.” She closed her eyes and tears continued to run down her face, “You made a commitment and you’re excited to go do the thing you love. So go Bo. You have to.”

“But I don-“

Lauren silenced her with a kiss. And though it pained her to say it she let out a quiet sob, “You have to go Bo. You have to.” She gave her one more kiss then said in firm, steady tone, “I love you and I want you to go do the thing you love. Then in nine months we’ll be together and in Boston. Okay?” Bo sniffed and shook her head yes. Lauren wiped the tears from Bo’s face which had done nothing to mar the beauty of the woman in front of her. “Good. Now go get on the plane and call me when you get to Paris. And when you get to Florence.”

Bo sniffed again as her emotions got back under control. Her heart hurt, but she agreed with Lauren even though she didn’t want to. Bo kissed her then replied in a quiet voice, “I will.” She closed her eyes and swallowed so she could moisten her dry throat. This was the worst thing she had ever been through and she didn’t think she would be able to do it again. She took a deep breath and found some shred of willpower then gave Lauren a deep kiss. When she broke away she said in a hushed voice, “I love you so much and I want you know that I do plan to marry you one day. And next time I go away you’re coming with me.”

Lauren stood there stunned and she didn’t know what to say. Bo gave her one final kiss then grabbed her carry-on and headed down the corridor that lead to security and the terminal gates. It wasn’t until Bo was halfway down the corridor that Lauren realised that Bo was walking away and she hadn’t told her that she loved her back. She took off down the corridor and shouted, “Bo!”

Bo heard Lauren call for her and she turned around and the next thing she knew Lauren was in her arms and kissing her. It was a brief kiss but it was enough to convey how much love Lauren felt for her. Lauren pulled back and said, “I love you too. Have a safe flight.”

Bo gave her a sad smile, “Okay I will.”

Lauren let go of Bo and watched as Bo passed through the ticket checkpoint. Lauren covered her mouth as a sob escaped from her as she watched Bo disappear into the hub of activity that was airport security. She felt a hand on her shoulder and Lauren turned to bury her face in the sturdy body that was her brother as she cried when the reality of what had just happened crashed upon her. Bo was actually gone and she felt empty. She didn’t remember Matt and Aife guiding her out of the airport nor did she remember the car ride back home. All she could do was cry and she felt as though a part of herself had been ripped from her which had left behind an unbearable pain.

Bo made it through security and the entire process had been a blur. Only thing she could feel and focus on was the fact that in a matter of minutes there would be an ocean and several countries between her and Lauren. Bo sat in one of the chairs. She knew she looked like a mess but she didn’t care. Her heart hurt and her mind was rebelling against the fact that she was leaving Lauren. She still wasn’t certain on if she should be leaving Lauren and she still wasn’t certain when they announced that they were boarding for her flight. But the one thing she was certain of when the plane took off less than twenty minutes after boarding was the fact that the pain didn’t alleviate as the miles grew greater between her and Lauren.

* * *

 

 Lauren was holding onto Bo’s pillow and she was trying to find the strength in her to  get up, but nothing was coming to her for the third day in a row. She’d eventually get up and get something to eat and shower but her drive to do anything else was non-existent and would remain so until Bo called her. Bo had called her at least ten times already and she had told Lauren about the small town that was located outside of Florence. She was already planning things for them to do when Lauren came to Italy to visit over her summer break. Bo had such a happy look on her face during their Skype call that Lauren didn’t want to do anything to ruin it for her so she stayed happy for Bo. The time difference was another adjustment that Lauren was also getting used to because when Bo was just getting up it was still the middle of night for her. But Lauren never missed a call and would stay up for hours talking with Bo. Lauren was genuinely happy for Bo, but it didn’t ease the feeling of her missing her. Lauren rolled to where she was lying on her back and looked up at the ceiling while she still held onto Bo’s pillow with one arm and her other hand played with the ring that was on the necklace Bo had given her for Christmas. Lauren had put it on for the first time the morning Bo had left and she only took it off when she showered.

She sighed, trying again to find some sort of motivation to move, but she didn’t find anything so she continued to think about Bo. Bo would try to call her during the day but between getting used to her new environment and her workload it made it a hard thing to do. Plus Lauren was supposed to be in class but she had been blowing them off the last couple of days. Lauren heard a knock on the door and she let out a weary breath then shouted, “Go away.”

That didn’t send whoever away and the door began to open. Lauren scowled at the opening door realising that she had forgotten to lock it. Matt walked into the room and he crossed his arms over his broad chest saying, “Times up.”

Lauren got a confused look on her face. She didn’t know what he was talking about and she really didn’t care. Lauren pulled the blanket over her head and told him, “I’m not certain what that means Matthew, but go away. Don’t you have some mindless TV show to watch? Something that proves Darwinism is more than a theory?”

“Is it really a fact if these people already know that they’ll be getting into some stupid shit to begin with?” Matt wondered and Lauren heard him walk closer to the bed then he yanked the blankets off of her.

Lauren glared at him and demanded, “Give me my blanket it back. And yes because these idiots still decided to go on national television and act like jackasses.” She held out her hand, “Blanket.”

Matt shook his head no, “I was instructed to give you two days then on the third day if you were still mopey I was to take drastic action.”

Lauren eyed her brother knowing the anger and irritation showed on her face, “And who gave you these instructions?”

“Bo.”

She scoffed and asked, “Bo gave you these instructions? And when did she do that?”

Matt got annoyed at her and said, “It doesn’t matter when she did it, but just know I am take you out to do something completely asinine if you hadn’t left the house in two days and you haven’t so…we’re doing something asinine.” Lauren scowled at her brother and reached for her phone but Matt was able to get to it first. He shoved it into his back pocket stating, “You have to do something asinine first then you can call Bo to fact check and then bitch at her.”

“I don’t want to.” Lauren told him not believing a single word he said.

Matt rolled his eyes and remarked, “You asked for this.”

He walked over to the side of the bed then he moved to pick Lauren up and she tried to get away from him but he was a quick guy for his size. He put Lauren over his shoulder and she screamed, “Matthew if you don’t put me the fuck down I will kick your ass.”

Lauren barely heard his reply to the stream of swears that were flying out of her mouth and when they entered the bathroom Matt set her in the tub then turned on the shower saying, “Take a shower. Get dressed and meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes or I’m calling mom and dad.”

Lauren scowled at him because she knew trying to get pass him would be a failed attempt. She took off her necklace and held it out for him saying, “Lose it and you will not have kids.”

Matt covered his crotch with his hand and gasped, “That’s just mean. You would prevent mom from becoming a grandma because of a piece of jewellery?”

Lauren narrowed her eyes at him and countered, “It is not just a piece of jewellery. Bo gave it to me.” The significance of the necklace dawned on Matt. “And mom can still be a grandma but she won’t be getting any grandkids from you if you lose that necklace. Do you understand Matthew?”

“Sheesh. Okay. Let’s not threaten my unborn children.” He laid the necklace down on the bathroom counter then gave her a pointed look, “Fifteen minutes Lauren.”

As he walked out of the bathroom she shouted, “I can barely shower in fifteen minutes.”

“Well then you better try.” Matt hollered back then he added, “And it’s fourteen minutes now.”

Lauren was beyond pissed at her brother and she was even more pissed at Bo for the fact that she had told him to do it. Matt would have done something on his own after about four days because he would have ran out of food but two days sounded more like Bo logic. Lauren started to get out of her now soaking wet clothes so she could take the world’s quickest shower then get dressed.

After she was showered and dressed Lauren headed downstairs and went into the kitchen where she heard Matt, Piper, and Alex talking. When she walked into the room Alex exclaimed, “Snarky you’re up and dressed. This is a vast improvement from the last couple of days.” Lauren flicked her off. “Not much of a change in an attitude though. Work on that.”

Lauren saw a cooler on the dining room table and Piper was packing food into it. She looked at Matt and asked, “What asinine thing requires a cooler?”

“And booze.” Alex added as if Lauren had forgotten the most important item in their supplies.

Lauren shot her an irritated look then looked at Matt expecting an answer. And when he didn’t say anything she demanded, “Matthew….”

He looked at her and grinned, “Ice fishing.”

Lauren looked at him with a surprised look on her face. She didn’t fish and she definitely didn’t ice fish. And she wasn’t too thrilled about being on some frozen body of water for however many hours Matt wanted to be out there for. It was completely asinine. Even more so considering most of them weren’t that outdoorsy to begin with. Lauren rubbed her forehead. She was going to kill Bo. Lauren was reluctant to help the other three with anything because she didn’t want to go to begin with. Matthew had told her several times to quit being a brat. Her only response to that was to show him her middle finger. The group managed to get out of the house and pile into Matt’s SUV then they drove an hour and a half to a frozen lake in some remote location.

Lauren hopped out of the truck and commented, “If we meet our death out here do know that I will spend the rest of eternity pissed at you all.”

“Lauren stop being a brat. Like seriously. I’m tired of all your complaining and all of your negative bullshit. Enjoy the fucking country air and try to have a good fucking time. Jesus.” Matt told her as he slammed his door closed

Lauren stalked over to the other side of the car and argued, “I didn’t ask to be here Matthew. I was happy to be in my room and minding my own damn business. But you felt entitled to remove me from my room and home for some stupid ass excursion-“

“Bo told me to do this Lauren so if you have a fucking problem with it take it up with your girlfriend.” He told her his voice raising as he got angry with her.”

“I would but you have my fucking phone.” Lauren spat out.

Matt pulled her phone out of his pocket and tossed it to her saying, “Good luck with the reception out here.”

Lauren looked at the display and sure enough she had no reception. She tightened her grip on her phone before she went over and shoved Matt hard yelling, “You did this on fucking purpose.”

Matt took a deep breath and look up at the sky then he looked back at Lauren. He had a focused look on his face as he explained, “Bo doesn’t want you to waste all your time sulking around and missing her Lauren. She wants you to know that you do have your own life and that you still need to live it while she’s gone.”

All the fight and anger Lauren was feeling left her and she sighed. She reached to play with the ring around her neck and said in a barely audible voice, “But I miss her so much Mattie.”

“Aw Lo don’t do that.” He walked over to her and enveloped her in a hug and she began to silently cry. “You can miss her but your life doesn’t have to stop while she’s gone. You have a lot to do and once you get involved in that the time will fly by. So today we’re going to ice fish, drink god awful beer picked by Alex then head home and order pizza because none of us know what to do with a fish once we catch it.”

Piper cleared her throat and stated, “I do. Cal taught me how to scale and gut a fish that one summer he took me camping.”

Lauren couldn’t hold back the laugh she let out because that summer had been a disaster for her. Matt chuckled and said, “I don’t trust Cal. Especially after that night we were drinking at his trailer.”

“He warned you the homemade wine was little stronger than what you were used to.” Piper told him and Lauren only laughed because Matt had gotten so drunk that night he passed out in the middle of the forest that the trailer was at and he woke up at three in the morning puking so loudly that Lauren thought he was going to need medical attention.

Matt moved away from her and he got a wide grin on his face, “Aww there’s my favourite little sister. No longer the mopey mess anymore. Feeling better?”

Lauren got a reluctant smile on her face. She didn’t feel  tremendously better, but the emotions she felt from missing Bo didn’t weigh so heavy on her. She gave Matt a hug and said, “I’m a little better. Thanks Mattie.”

He rubbed her back with his gloved hand and said, “Don’t thank me. Thank Bo. I’m just lucky she knows you as well as she does.”

They stood there another moment then after a minute they heard a beer can open and Lauren and Matt looked at Alex who had taken a sip. When she realised everyone was looking at her she said, “What? I got thirsty.”

Piper shook her head and remarked, “You’re so lucky I love you.”

Alex grinned at the sentiment then started to say, “Aw you love me…you wanna date me...you-“

Piper covered her mouth and told her, “No more _Miss Congeniality_ for you.”

Lauren grinned and she couldn’t help but to further instigate the situation, “Aw come on Pipes. She’s beauty and she’s grace.”

“Yeah babe I’m Miss United States.” Alex finished when she moved Piper’s hand from her mouth.

The three of them laughed and Matt chuckled as he said, “I have no idea what’s going on, but let’s go get some fishing done.”

Lauren smiled at him and said, “This isn’t going to end well.”

He moved to get the supplies out of the trunk of the SUV and told her, “It isn’t but you’ll be happy and that’s all that matters.”

Lauren regarded her brother for a moment. She wasn’t going to be entirely happy until Bo was home and with her, but she wasn’t going to sulk around anymore. She had school to finish. A graduation in May and there was a big move coming up. There were a lot of things that needed her to be at her best and Bo needed her to be at her best if they we’re going to be getting a place together. So she was going go ice fishing with her brother and friends and be happy that she was surrounded by people who cared enough to take care of her. As she helped Matt pull out the supplies she grinned as she thought to herself, _“These nine months are going to fly by.”_


	5. Expect The Unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one skips around a lot but it covers a lot of ground.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters they belong to the wonderful people of Lost Girl, Showcase, Prodigy, et al. and borrowed Orange Is The New Black characters also belong to their respective studios and creators.

Bo walked into her apartment and dropped her briefcase by the door. She was having a shitty day and was in a foul mood. This was peculiar considering today's lecture topic was one of her favourites, the brain's response to sexual stimulation, but she had cancelled today's class along with her weekly speaking engagement because she couldn't be around people while she was in a bad mood. So she had gone to her office to do some research for a study that she had been asked to assist on and normally when she was in a bad mood locking herself in her office then getting lost in whatever she was working on would make her less crabby and more sociable, but even that hadn't worked so she left work all together. Bo walked into the kitchen and she grabbed a bottle of wine, the corkscrew, and a glass then headed over to the couch. She plopped onto it then started up her laptop. She knew the exact reason for her bad mood but there was nothing she could do about it because it was twelve in the afternoon here and it was only six in the morning at home. And Lauren wasn't up considering they had talked for almost four hours earlier and she had class today so Bo didn't want to wake her up. She opened the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. It was going to be a long day.

It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying her time in Italy, in fact she was having more than a great time, the problem was that in the last two months her moods were unpredictable due to the fact that were some days were she really missed Lauren and her mood would continue to be unpleasant until she spoke to Lauren. Bo took a sip of the red wine that she had come to fall in love with since being in Italy. The delicious wine wasn't the only thing that she had come to love. She had also fallen in love with small town that the university was located in as well as Florence which only twenty minutes away. There were many museums close by that she liked to visit and the ones that held art from the renaissance period were by far her favourite. The public gardens were another attraction she enjoyed. They had the most beautiful flowers and she spent her lunch hour in them watching people and enjoying nature. Then there were the restaurants that served fantastic food that she couldn't get enough of. But despite all the things Bo had come to enjoy about the country she still missed Lauren a tremendous amount and sometimes wished that she were there to share in the experience with her. Bo sighed and took another drink from her wine glass then got up from the couch to head out onto the balcony that over looked the beautiful countryside. The view alone made her heartache. She needed something to do. Something to preoccupy herself until it was an appropriate time for her to call Lauren. Bo bit her bottom lip then finished the rest of her wine. She went back into the apartment and placed the glass down on the coffee table before she headed down the hall to her room. She decided that she was going to go to one of the art museums and lose herself in some captivating renaissance pieces then grab an early dinner. Bo hoped that by doing this she would lose the melancholy feeling that seemed to have taken hold of her and that it would put her in a better mood for when she called Lauren.

* * *

Lauren was lying in bed looking up at the ceiling. It was almost nine and she had class in an hour but she felt no desire to get out of bed. Today was one of those days were if she closed her eyes tight enough and imagined hard enough she could feel Bo's arms wrapped around her. The last two months had been hard and she was getting through them the best that she could but sometimes she would wake up and the ache in her heart would be more than she could take. Lauren looked at the clock then counted out the six hours. It was three where Bo was at. Lauren began to wonder if she should give Bo a call or not but as soon as she decided to try she remembered that it was the middle of the week and that Bo was probably preparing for her weekly speaking engagement. Lauren let out a heavy sigh then relented to the fact that she should go to class if not to learn something then to at least keep her mind off of missing Bo. She took another deep breath then moved to get out of bed. She picked up her phone and as she walked to the bathroom she tried to reach Bo on Skype. When the call went unanswered she left a message. It was quick and to the point that way any sadness she was feeling wouldn't be obvious in her tone. Lauren started the shower and as she was getting ready for it she stopped a moment to play with her necklace then took it off. Her attachment to the piece of jewellery was getting worse and if she forgot to put it on or misplaced it she went into a frenzy looking for it. Luckily that didn't happen too often. Right before she stepped into the shower her phone went off and for a split second her heart sped up as she hoped that it was Bo calling her back. But when she picked it up and saw that it was a text from Matt asking if he needed to pick up anything for the dinner that was happening this weekend all hope faded from her. Lauren shot him a quick reply and sighed. She should have known that Bo wasn't going to have free time all of a sudden since she would be giving her speaking engagement in an hour or so. Lauren got into the shower and as she went through the motions of cleaning herself she thought about this weekend and how much she needed it. Matt came down almost every weekend to keep her company and she appreciated it because they would do things that would keep her mind off of Bo, but this weekend they were going to be having a family dinner. Of course she had invited Bo's mom, who she had seen two weeks ago, and she was excited to see Aife because she wondered if the older woman had any information about how Bo was doing besides what she already knew. Lauren knew Bo wouldn't hold anything back from her but she wanted to make sure Bo was okay because knew how much Bo liked to downplay her feelings for her. Lauren finished in the shower then got out. After she dried off she picked up her phone and saw that there were no missed calls or messages. Lauren frowned at the device then bit her bottom lip before she shook her head. She was being ridiculous. She knew that Bo was busy and that she would call her back as soon as she could. Bo had never not called her back so Lauren knew she had nothing to worry about. As she got ready for her day she couldn't stop the longing that she felt. Lauren wanted to hear her girlfriend's voice and to hear the love in that voice. That was one thing Lauren had missed the most. The unguarded and unsolicited way Bo would look at her with complete adoration. Lauren closed her eyes for a brief moment when she felt a wave of heartache come over her. She then took a deep breath and continued getting dressed. When she finished getting dressed she picked her phone off of the bed and checked it again. Still nothing from Bo. She stared at it for a second then shoved it into her pocket before she walked out of the room. Bo would call her when she had the time and Lauren was going to take the call regardless if she was in class or not. She was having an emotional day that could only be fixed by hearing Bo's voice.

* * *

Bo sat in the uncomfortable chair and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She was going to chalk this up to stress and the fact that she was thousands of miles away from her girlfriend. She had had one too many glasses of wine and now she was making impulsive decisions. Bo really couldn't believe she was doing this. She blew out a breath and hoped that Lauren wouldn't freak out too bad. She shook her head as she thought about how she couldn't believe she was doing this.

* * *

Lauren walked into the house and yelled, "Is anyone home?"

Piper yelled from the kitchen, "Yes we are and we got Chinese and some terrible movies."

Lauren walked into the kitchen and tossed her keys on the island remarking, "I hope it's not something that will make me cry."

Alex snorted and told her, "You cry at any movie. We could watch Superbad and you would cry."

Lauren made a face and said, "I didn't like that movie. And it's not my fault." Lauren sat down on one of the barstools, "Bo hasn't called me today. And I've called her three times already."

Piper gave her a questioning look, "I thought you were trying to give her space in an effort to not seem so clingy?"

Lauren pulled her phone out of her pocket and sighed, "I am. I just…" She trailed off when she saw that Bo hadn't called her. Lauren felt a sharp pang to her heart as she began to wonder why Bo hadn't called her yet. Lauren had gone to her two classes, did some work in the lab, and studied for one of her classes that she had a test for on Monday all in an effort to keep her mind off Bo. She had done everything that she could think of to keep her mind busy and now here it was a little after five and Bo still hadn't called her. "I just need to hear her voice. I hope nothing is wrong with her."

Piper walked over to her and gave her a quick hug, "I'm certain if anything were to happen to her, Bo would have left specific instructions for someone to call you right away." She walked over to the cabinet then pulled out three plates, "Now let's go in the living room and watch the movie that Alex has picked out which we will most likely change in twenty minutes."

Lauren reluctantly followed Piper and Alex into the living room even though she wanted to lock herself in her room so she could wait for Bo's call. Lauren fell into the arm chair next to the couch and said, "You would think she'd at least call to say hello."

Alex let out an aggravated sigh, "Let it go Lauren. She'll call you when she can." She reached for a container of food then smirked at her, "Maybe she found herself a cute little Italian thing that made her go 'Lauren who?'"

Lauren scowled at Alex and clenched her jaw. She wasn't going to let Alex goad her into her an argument. Luckily she didn't have to because Piper swatted Alex's arm and scolded, "You're an asshole. Bo would never do anything like that to Lauren." Piper scoffed, "I swear Alex I'm going to break up with you because you can be such a thoughtless asshole sometimes."

Lauren decided she was going to keep quiet and get herself some food. She was not going to fuel a Piper and Alex argument. And Alex might not have goaded her into an argument but she did plant seeds of doubt in Lauren's mind. She couldn't help but to think that maybe Bo did find someone that would help her take her mind off of what she was missing or maybe she wasn't even missing Lauren at all. Lauren poked at her food with her fork. She was no longer hungry and she didn't want to watch a movie with the now tense Alex and Piper. She put her plate down on the coffee table then got up, "I'm going to go take a bath and go to bed."

"Lauren don't let Alex put you in a bad mood. Sit back down and we can have a relaxing night." Piper insisted but it was too late. Lauren didn't feel like being social at the moment.

Lauren shook her head and sighed, "Thanks Pipes but I just want to be by myself for a while."

She headed upstairs to her room then made her way into the bathroom. Lauren started the water then put in some lavender bath salts hoping the smell would help her relax. She was taking off her pants when she realised she had left her phone downstairs on the kitchen counter. Lauren swore then put her shirt back on so she could go downstairs and get it. As soon as she had her phone in her hand she looked at it and Bo still hadn't called which made her heart sink even further. Lauren's vision began to blur and her breath hitched as she let the worst thoughts flood her mind. She took a deep breath and tried calling Bo one more time. And when the call went unanswered she started to cry. This was the first time in the two months that Bo had been away where Bo hadn't answered her calls or returned any of them and Lauren could only start to think that maybe Alex was right. Silent tears made their way down her face as she went back upstairs. When she was back in her room she first went into the bathroom so she could stop the water for her bath then she headed straight for bed. As soon as she was lying down Lauren held on tight to Bo's pillow and cried into it. Eventually she cried herself to sleep with the worst thoughts imaginable running through her mind.

* * *

The doorbell ringing is what woke Lauren from her restless sleep. She groaned and turned to look at the clock. It was twelve thirty in the morning. Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she wondered who the hell would be coming over at a time like this. Lauren was still dressed in the clothes she had worn that day so she got up swearing at whoever was at the door. If it turned out to be her brother she was going to make him stay on the porch all night. She really needed Matthew to get a girlfriend because he was becoming annoying. As Lauren made her way down the stairs the doorbell rang again and she groaned, "I'm coming just stop pushing that damn button." She got to the front door and before she opened it she pulled back the curtain to see who it was and the moment she saw who it was she covered her mouth with her hand, "Oh my god." She looked again and repeated, "Oh my god." With a shaking hand she unlocked the front door then pulled it open to reveal Bo who had a small smile on her face. Lauren still had hand covering her mouth as she shook her head and said, "You can't be here. There's no way you're here." She ran her hand through her hair, "I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming because there is no other-"

Bo stepped inside the house and took a gentle hold of Lauren's wrist so she could move her hand away from her mouth. Then she moved closer to Lauren which left the tiniest bit of space between them. Lauren could feel Bo's breath on her lips and all she could think about was how vivid this dream was. She still thought this was a dream because Bo wouldn't hop on a plane and fly half way around the world to just see her. That was crazy. But when Bo's lips pressed against hers she didn't care if it was a dream or not. She was kissing Bo and that's all that mattered. Lauren held on tight to Bo's hips as the kiss went from mild to intense. Bo guided Lauren back then closed the door with her foot before she turned them around and pinned Lauren against it. Bo broke the kiss then kissed the underside of Lauren's jaw before she began to kiss down her neck. Lauren closed her eyes and tangled her fingers in Bo's hair. This dream was the most vivid one she had had about her and Bo and it was becoming her favourite one. Bo undid the button on her jeans then pushed them down before she moved away from Lauren's neck. As her fingers stroked the sensitive lips between her legs Bo's eyes looked into Lauren's. Lauren felt her arousal increase but even as Bo was touching her at the same time she wasn't touching her and that created an agonizing need in Lauren. Lauren stared back at Bo and using her eyes she begged for Bo to give her what she had been dying to have for the last two months. Bo kissed her and as Lauren lost herself in it she felt Bo slip two of her fingers inside of her which caused Lauren to moan into her mouth. As the gentle fingers caressed the aroused muscles Lauren senses overloaded on everything that was happening. Bo was with her and was touching her and kissing her. It felt as though Bo was everywhere and between the building orgasm and her overwhelming emotions she didn't know which one to address first. Eventually her orgasm won out and Lauren broke the kiss then let her head fall to Bo's shoulder. She shut her eyes tight as an intense orgasm consumed her every part of her body. Even as she came Lauren could still feel Bo's fingers moving in and out of her and instead of stopping Bo she let her bring her to another orgasm because she wanted as much as Bo was willing to give her. After her second orgasm passed Bo did stop then she pulled out of Lauren. Lauren kept her head resting on Bo's shoulder and she kissed her neck then murmured, "Are you really here?"

Bo wrapped her arms around her before she whispered, "Yeah I'm really here." Lauren couldn't stop the tears that began to fall as she heard the words. She had dreamt of the many ways Bo would show up at random on their doorstep and how Bo would take Lauren in her arms then kiss her with such passion that it took her breath away. But her brain had either fallen short or decided to spare her of what the reality was because the reality so much better. She felt Bo place a kiss in her hair before saying, "Come on let's go to bed."

Lauren nodded against her shoulder then lifted her head up. She looked into Bo's beautiful brown eyes and her heart began to race. Bo was here and she couldn't believe it. She kissed Bo then chuckled, "I can't believe you're here."

Bo grinned and said, "Well I've got several ways to make you believe I'm here if the first two ways weren't believable enough."

Lauren was beyond happy and she laughed as she responded, "I think you might have to Professor. My dreams have been pretty vivid since you've been gone and let's just say dream you is an impressive lover."

Bo reached behind Lauren and locked the door as she scoffed, "Dream me is going to get her ass kicked if she thinks she can upstage me."

Lauren laughed and took hold of Bo's hand, "I'm certain after tonight dream you won't even try again."

Bo smiled at her then ran her hands through Lauren's hair before pulling her head forward so she could kiss her. The kiss caused Lauren to stop breathing and when Bo pulled back she had to remind herself to breathe. Bo softly admitted, "I've missed you so much. More than I thought I would."

"Me too." Lauren responded even though the two words fell short of what she actually felt when Bo was gone.

Bo took her hand then moved and said, "Come on."

As they climbed the stairs and walked to their room Lauren was still shocked that Bo was home. And the shock remained even as they got into bed, but the surprise and amazement wore off with each caress Bo gave her skin and with each kiss reality began to sink in. Then as the kisses progressed and the touches became more insistent Lauren began to believe nothing else besides the fact that Bo was indeed home with her.

* * *

Bo had her head resting on her hand and she was lying on her side looking at Lauren with the biggest smile on her face. She was home with the love of her life and her world was perfect. They had spent the entire night reacquainting themselves with each other and as the memories of how she touched Lauren and the way Lauren had touched her flooded her mind her heart began to race as a wave of desire came over her. But for the moment she was content to watch Lauren sleep. Bo reached out and using a light touch she trailed her fingers down the expanse of Lauren's exposed back. She knew she had missed waking up to Lauren but now that she was lying in bed with the younger woman she realised that missing barely described what she had felt. Watching Lauren sleep was a gift and it was one that she would cherish for the rest of her life. Bo scooted closer to Lauren and placed a delicate kiss on her shoulder. Her love for Lauren filled her up and caused her heart to swell. She was still amazed by the fact that she was in the same space as her girlfriend. Bo felt Lauren stir and the blonde sat up fast then looked at her before exclaiming, "Oh my god you're really here." Then she frowned, "Unless I'm still dreaming."

Bo smiled at her and told her, "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told you the thirty different times last night." She leaned in and placed a kiss on Lauren's forehead before murmuring, "I am here and you're not dreaming." She then moved to place a kiss on Lauren's lips, "Okay?"

"More than okay." Lauren gave her a lingering kiss then she lay back down. She stared a Bo and Bo stared back at her. After a minute Lauren got a wide smile on her face, "I really can't believe you're home. Why are you home?"

Bo chuckled then lay down on the bed and Lauren didn't hesitate to cuddle up to her. Bo wrapped her arm around her then kissed the top of her head before sighing, "I was drunk and I missed you. I had planned on going to a museum and going to a restaurant but the thought of doing that without you only added to my need to be with you then I had a few glasses of wine." She chuckled, "Next thing I know I'm buying a plane ticket home."

Lauren chuckled and wondered, "Why didn't you call me?"

"I saw that you had called me when I was in Paris but by that point the wine had worn off and I was just hoping you wouldn't kill me for this impulsive move." She kissed Lauren then apologised, "And I'm sorry I didn't call you and I'm sorry I worried you. It was never my intention to make you worry."

Lauren sighed and her breath chilled Bo's exposed skin then she said, "I know you didn't mean it Bo but a text or something would have been nice to receive."

Bo gave Lauren quick squeeze, "I know and I'm sorry. When I turned on my phone in Paris and saw how many times you tried to call me I got this crazy idea that surprising you would be better than letting you know that I was on a plane and on my way to see you. Also when I get impulsive you get a little mean."

Lauren gently bit the skin above Bo's right breast then kissed it before she countered, "I don't get mean. I like to be cautious and sometimes you test that when you act before thinking." Lauren began to draw idle circles around her nipple and it grew hard. Bo was trying to keep her mind on the conversation as Lauren's finger began its lazy movement from her nipple and down the curve of her breast to her ribs. "How long are you here for?" Lauren looked at her then grinned, "Or was this some international booty call? Because to be honest this could get expensive and we have to move."

Bo bit her bottom lip as Lauren's fingertips walked down her taut stomach. Her stomach muscles tightened and twitched as the roaming digits made their way further down. The dull throb between her legs was becoming hard to ignore and she had to concentrate to form words, "Speaking of moving I think I found someone to sell…." She trailed off as Lauren's fingertips glided down the top of her right thigh. There was no way she could continue this conversation.

"You were saying?"

Bo chuckled and remarked, "Why are you torturing me?"

Lauren lifted her head and placed a soft kiss on her collar bone then whispered, "Torture?" Lauren let out a low chuckle that made Bo nervous and the look in the blonde's eyes told Bo that she had used the wrong word. "You know my kind of torture sweetie and this isn't it." Lauren's hand moved to the inside of her thigh and began to slide up it, "But if you're looking for some I can give it to you if you want." Bo shook her head no. She knew all too well that Lauren knew how to keep her on edge for hours and that she knew how turn her into a complete and total mess. "That's what I thought. But before I give you what you want…" Lauren's hand was so close to where Bo needed her to be that she had stopped breathing. Lauren moved up Bo's body then leaned in so that their lips were barely touching and whispered, "How long are you here for?"

Lauren's fingertips rested on her sensitive lower lips and Bo had to make a conscious effort not to move because if she did Lauren would torture her. That was the last thing she wanted. She took a deep breath then breathed, "Monday."

Lauren let out a low hum then got a smile of approval on her face, "Good because we're having dinner this weekend. We'll talk about it in a minute. But first…" Lauren took Bo's earlobe between her teeth then as she slid her fingers into Bo she whispered, "Come."

Bo let out a strangled groan and gripped the bed sheets. Lauren knew how to undo her and the effect she had on her never failed to amaze Bo. Lauren moved down her body so she could take one of Bo's hard nipples into her mouth and began to suck on it which caused Bo let out another loud moan. She stopped clenching the sheets and moved her hand into Lauren's hair while Lauren's fingers moved deep inside of her. Bo had needed this for so long. And now that she was receiving it she had a hard time controlling herself and she was a lot closer to her orgasm than she would like to be. Somewhere in Bo's clouded mind she heard Lauren chuckle then she felt her move down the bed even as her fingers continued to move. It was seconds later that Bo felt Lauren's mouth on her and she couldn't hold back the cry that she let out. The world exploded behind Bo's eyelids as Lauren's fingers and tongue brought her closer to the inevitable. She couldn't get enough of Lauren touching her and craved for more even as her approaching climax build inside of her. Bo begged for Lauren not to stop and her hips moved to the pace that Lauren's fingers had set while her tongue stroked the firm bundle of nerves that sent shockwaves throughout her body. Bo could feel her orgasm threaten her entire being as she held onto the back of Lauren's head and just as she was about to go over the edge Lauren replaced her fingers with her tongue and that was the thing that shove Bo over the edge and call out Lauren's name. Lauren's tongue continued to work Bo over as she went through her orgasm and a few seconds after it. Eventually Lauren stopped and Bo laid there felling content as her skin hummed from the post effects of her orgasm. Lauren was on top of Bo seconds later and they began to kiss. They lost themselves in it and Bo was overjoyed to be home with Lauren. She felt complete with her.

Eventually Lauren broke the kiss then rested her head on Bo's shoulder before sighing, "I love you so much."

Bo wrapped her arms around her and kissed Lauren's forehead before whispering, "I love you too."

There was a knock on the room door and Piper yelled, "Lauren are you cheating on Bo? Because if so I'm going to come in there and kicked your ass." There was a pause then she added, "Unless you're having a good time getting in touch with yourself. In which case I should probably leave you alone."

Lauren chuckled then quietly said to Bo, "She's not going to believe that you're home so you're going to have to answer the door."

Bo laughed then rolled to where she was on top of Lauren. She gave her a kiss before she got up with the comforter wrapped around her. She padded over to door and opened it. Piper had a stunned look on her face then shouted, "Bo!"

Piper gave her a hug and she returned it as best as she could considering she was trying to keep the comforter wrapped around her. "Hey Piper."

"Oh my go when did you get here?" Piper asked as she moved away from Bo.

Bo looked back at Lauren then smiled at Piper, "About twelve last night. I'm guessing you didn't hear the door bell?"

Piper shook her head no, "Alex snores and I sleep like the dead." She gasped, "You get to come to family dinner this weekend. Mattie's cooking."

Bo looked at Lauren and wondered, "And we trust him to do that?"

Lauren laughed and told her, "Yes we do. It's a bit warm this weekend so we're breaking out the grill. He'll be down on Friday."

Bo smiled and said, "Awesome and I'm excited that I decided to be impulsive on the right weekend." She looked at Piper and said, "I'd love to catch up Piper but Lauren and I were…."

She trailed off and the tall blonde realised what she was getting at and exclaimed, "Oh yeah. I will let you two get back to that and it's nice to have you home Bo. We'll talk later."

Piper turned around to walk down the hall and Lauren chuckled then said, "You know I do have a few classes today and I can't blow them off for you." She grinned, "I learned my lesson last semester when you were taking advantage of me."

Bo dropped the comforter then she got on the bed and crawled over to Lauren who was sitting up with a sheet covering her. Bo kissed her then whispered, "I was not taking advantage of you."

Bo tugged the sheet down exposing Lauren's naked chest and Lauren ran her hand through Bo's hair and pulled her head forward a little before saying, "No I guess you weren't. But taking me against the wall in a classroom sort of seems like it." Even as Bo was about to make her move on Lauren she couldn't help but to let the blonde have the upper hand of the situation before she made it. Their lips were barely touching and they were sharing the same breath when Lauren hummed then said in low voice "Bo..." Bo brought her hand up and trailed it down Lauren's neck smiling when she bit her bottom lip then she smirked, "I know you have my thong."

Bo got a wicked grin on her face then pressed her lips on Lauren's and guided her back onto the bed. Bo was planning to spend the rest of the morning in bed with Lauren. And her goal for the next few days was to have as much of Lauren that was humanly possible and the way the blonde moved underneath her along with the soft pleas begging her not to stop told Bo that Lauren wouldn't have any objection to doing the same as well.

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Lauren and Bo had sex all morning and they slept away a good part of the afternoon. At two Lauren woke up and resigned to the fact that she needed to get up to do some work for school or this special arrangement that she had with Harvard Medical School would blow up in her face. Getting out of bed was a hard thing for her to do since Bo was in it. And the task became even more difficult to do when she saw the cute, content smile the brunette had on her face as she slept. She leaned over and placed a lingering kiss on Bo's cheek then got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. After being in the shower for ten minutes Lauren was a little disappointed by the fact that Bo hadn't woken up to join her. But she knew that Bo was most likely worn out from jet leg and the non-stop sex that they seemed to be having. When she finished her shower she quietly got dressed then headed downstairs to do her homework. Lauren was two hours into her work when Bo joined her. Neither of them said a word to each other but Bo did give her a quick kiss on the forehead then joined her on the couch before starting her own work. The two of them worked in silence and the only thing that did change was Lauren's sitting position. She moved from her spot in the far corner of the couch to where she was sitting between Bo's legs and Bo had wrapped one arm around her middle while the other was holding some journal or report. Another hour passed and eventually Lauren realised that she couldn't stand to look at her computer screen any longer. She lifted Bo's arm then kissed her fingertips before she rested her head back on Bo's chest. Bo let out a small chuckle then kissed Lauren's temple before asking in a soft voice, "Time for a break?"

Lauren closed her eyes and smiled. She missed this so much. Having Bo's arms wrapped around her along with the unwavering support that Bo provided. Lauren held on tight to Bo's arm then sighed, "Yes I think so." Lauren smiled and wondered, "How is your Italian coming along?"

Bo laughed then dropped the paper she was reading so she could wrap her other arm around Lauren. She gave her a quick squeeze then answered, "It isn't coming along."

Lauren chuckled and remarked, "I'm not surprised." She looked up at Bo who looked down at her and grinned, "Well it's not like you were really dedicated to learn the language. You were only humouring me."

Bo kissed her then smiled, "I was humouring you but I will learn it and the next time you see me I will use it to charm the pants off of you."

Lauren rubbed Bo's arm and gently chided, "Don't talk about that. What are we doing for dinner?"

Bo took a deep breath then let it out before she said, "Chinese?"

Lauren shook her head no, "We had that last night."

Bo let out a small laugh, "Okay. How about we go to a nice restaurant with some candlelight and we can have a nice meal while I shower you with compliment after compliment?"

"You shower me with compliment after compliment no matter what." Lauren pointed out before she smiled, "And that sounds nice. It'll be like the first date we never had."

Bo scoffed and countered, "We did to have a first date."

Lauren shook her head no as she said, "We had sex first then we were in a relationship." She frowned as she realised that the events of their relationship weren't ones that she would have taken under normal circumstances. But she knew that her and Bo's relationship had never gone along with any standards she had. Lauren chuckled and sighed, "You know that's not how I would have done things if it were anyone else."

Bo got an understanding look on her face and smiled, "I know Lauren. Never did I think that you were someone who would fall into bed with just anyone." Bo laughed, "Trust me I remember that battle all too well." Then she sighed as she got a remorseful look on her face, "But I'm sorry that I didn't court you the right way and that you didn't get the first date that you most certainly do deserve. But…." Bo kissed her then grinned, "I can make up for it now. We'll go out to eat and I'll buy you flowers and make you blush by saying really cute things that are so cheesy but you'll eat it up anyway because you like it."

Lauren laughed and told her, "You can keep the cheesy lines and the flowers." She brought her hand to Bo's cheek and smiled, "I just want dinner with you."

Bo kissed her then whispered, "Done."

Lauren closed the small gap between them and they kissed for a moment before Bo pulled back and said, "Well I should go get showered and dressed if I'm going to take you to a fancy restaurant."

Lauren moved her laptop to the coffee table then stretched before she said, "Does it have to be fancy? Because if it's fancy then I have to put on a dress and heels then you'll get in a mood and next thing I know we're in a bathroom stall with my dressed hiked up and my panties around my ankles."

She sat up and looked at Bo who was trying not to smile as she asked, "Would that be a bad thing?"

Lauren leaned in and kissed Bo then whispered, "You're going to treat me like a lady tonight Bo Dennis and ladies do not have sex in the bathroom stall of a fancy restaurant."

Bo nodded in agreement, "And I will treat you like the lady that you are." She gave Lauren a kiss then pulled back, "I promise."

Lauren chuckled then got up and said, "Go shower professor we have a date."

Bo got up and grinned, "Yes we do."

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_Two Hours Later…._

Bo was watching Lauren eat as they sat in a small restaurant that was located in the downtown part of the city. She and Lauren had argued about which restaurant they would go to and eventually they settled on this one because it had the best shrimp scampi around and Lauren had given her a look that she couldn't say no to. Bo took a sip of the white wine that they were drinking and she smiled as the dim light from the candle danced across Lauren's face. She couldn't help but to say the first thing that popped into her head, "Do you know how beautiful you are?"

Lauren placed her fork down then wiped her mouth before smiling, "Is that rhetorical or were you looking for a legitimate answer?"

Bo grinned at her response then told her, "I'm going to say rhetorical so that way I can tell you that you are breathtakingly beautiful and I'm undeniably in love with you."

Lauren smiled at her before she got a sceptical look on her face and wondered, "This wouldn't be a ploy for you to get me into a bathroom stall would it?"

Bo chuckled as she brought Lauren's hand up so she could brush lips across her knuckles, "No darling it isn't. You simply captivated me and I had to tell you." She lowered Lauren's hand then cleared her throat, "So I've been thinking. I know we have all these plans and you have all these plans as well but Lauren I can't be in Italy without you. I've been miserable every day that I'm there and I've tried everything possible to keep myself from missing you but nothing has worked." She took a deep breath then sighed, "I need you." Bo took a drink of water then continued, "So I was thinking after you graduate instead of you spending the summer with your parents you could join me in Italy."

Bo noticed the stunned look on Lauren's face before she reached for her wineglass to take a drink from it. She smirked as she thought about how there was a point in time when Lauren wouldn't even drink wine but the younger woman had come to appreciate a fine wine. Lauren shook her head and said, "I can't do that Bo. Harvard requires that I take two courses this summer as I enter my second year of med school. I need those classes for my clerkships next year."

That wasn't the response Bo was expecting but she should have known better. Lauren's medical training was going to be one of the toughest obstacles that they would be facing in the coming years. She had no problem with it but Bo didn't know if she would be able to handle the emotional side that came with being in a relationship with someone who wouldn't be there a lot of the time. And she knew that things wouldn't get any better once Lauren started her residency. Bo sighed in resignation, "Alright. I thought I'd ask." Bo took a big gulp of her water then as she placed the glass down she mumbled, "Might as well get used to it anyway."

Bo bit her lip as Lauren gave her a questioning look. She shouldn't have said that. She was being emotional and that wasn't her plan for this evening. Lauren bit her bottom lip then asked, "What does that mean Bo?"

Bo let out a soft chuckle then made a mindless gesture with her hand, "Nothing Lauren. It means nothing. Are you ready for dessert?"

Lauren sat up in her chair and pinned Bo down with a pointed stare, "No Bo. What did you mean by that?"

Bo took a deep breath then shook her head, "Lauren we're enjoying a nice dinner. Now isn't the time for this."

"When is the time for it?" Lauren countered and Bo could tell that she was getting angry. Angry Lauren was a hard thing to deal with because she became defensive and refused to listen to reason. Bo sighed and asked, "Are you finished Lauren or do you want dessert? I hear the banana cream pie is delicious."

Lauren crossed her arms over her chest and stated, "I don't want banana cream pie. I want you to explain what you said."

Bo picked up the dessert menu and looked at it as she tried to figure out the best way to explain why she didn't want to talk about the meaning behind her words. She put down the menu and stated, "Lauren I will explain what I meant when we are in a more private location because what I have to say is the reality of our situation. It's going to make us both emotional and things will be said that neither of us will mean, or maybe we will, but either way we will not be having this discussion in a restaurant." She looked Lauren in her eyes, "But if you are finished then we can go home and discuss the meaning of what I just said to you."

Lauren scowled at her and Bo tried her best not to roll her eyes because she knew Lauren was only acting this way because she wasn't talking to her. Lauren got up and said, "Fine. I want to go home."

"Okay. But I want to get some banana cream pie for later because you'll regret not having it then you'll blame me." Bo told her as she waved for their waiter to come over and before he reached their table Bo softened her eyes, "I love you Lauren and no matter how much we argue nothing will change that. So be pissed at me all you want but I'm going to love you regardless."

That caused Lauren to lose some of her fight and Bo got a small smile on her face. When the waiter came over she ordered two slices of pie to go along with her request for the bill. They left the restaurant and as Bo was driving them home she took hold of Lauren's hand. For the moment everything was fine between them but at the same time she was trying to figure the best way for her to say what she needed to say without getting emotional. But she knew she was going to get emotional. Bo sighed and smiled, "You've kept the car in good shape."

Lauren let out a short laugh, "I don't drive it often. Plus driving your expensive car makes me a little uneasy."

Bo laughed and told her, "There's no reason to be nervous. Granted I feel a little better knowing my car is safe."

Lauren swatted her arm and retorted, "You're an asshole sometimes."

Bo took hold of her hand then kissed it before saying, "Yeah I am but I'm your asshole." She decided now was the best time for them to start the discussion. That way when they reached home Lauren would be ready for a full blown argument. "What I meant was that between med school and your residency you're not always going to be around which means you're not always going to be emotionally available. I get that and I got that the moment I decided to be with you but it sucks Lauren." She took a second to keep her emotions in check then admitted, "I want you come to Italy with me because I miss you so much and I know you miss me. And I thought you spending two months in Italy after graduation was doable but clearly I thought wrong and I'm sorry I brought it up."

Bo focused on her driving as she tried to ignore the feeling of vulnerability that was coming over her. Lauren was quiet then she insisted, "Bo I'm not going to be emotionally unavailable to you. Yes I'll be busy as hell but you're my safe place. As much as you need me I need you too. And will there be complications because of the training and schooling that I need to go through? Yes there will be but I also know that my future is nothing without you." Lauren stopped talking and Bo glanced at her out the corner of her eye. She saw that Lauren was looking out the window and as she was about to reach over to comfort her Lauren continued speaking, "And spending two months in Italy with you after graduation is not a problem. In fact I want nothing more."

"But it'll put you behind Lauren and I don't want that for you." Bo argued even as she began to smile about the fact that Lauren had agreed to come to Italy. But even if she was happy about it Bo knew that she wouldn't allow Lauren to do something like that because she would always put Lauren's education before her own happiness.

Lauren let out a frustrated sigh, "I'm giving you what you want Bo. I'm not understanding what the problem is here."

Bo scoffed and countered, "There is no problem Lauren. I'm just not going to let you jeopardise your academic career. Even more so if you're only doing it to give me what I want."

"I want it too Bo." Lauren stated her voice rising a little. Bo heard her take a breath, "So I'm not doing it just for you and I'm sorry that came out wrong." She took another breath then said, "I'm certain I can work something out with the academic advisor and the dean." She took Bo's hand and told her, "There are some things in life that are more important than school and wanting to be the world's best surgeon. And you are by far the most important thing to me." Lauren paused then admitted in a quiet voice, "You're the love of my life Bo and I don't want to lose you."

Hearing Lauren call her the love her life caused Bo's heart to skip a beat and the flurry of emotions that she felt prevented her from saying anything. A silence filled the car as Bo processed everything and eventually she kissed the back of Lauren's hand then whispered, "You're the love of my life too."

The weight of the emotion in the car was almost stifling. Bo wasn't certain where she and Lauren stood on everything but she knew one thing was for certain and that was their love for each other. They got home and when they were in the house Lauren headed into the kitchen with their pie while Bo got distracted by Alex's shouting, "Bo-Bo! You're home."

Alex got up from the couch and walked over to hug Bo who said, "I'm home for a few days. I hear a dinner is being planned?"

Alex chuckled and commented, "Yeah Piper put a bug in Lauren's mom's ear and next thing I know we're planning a dinner including your mom and Matt. I agreed with it all until they said Matt was cooking. So I'm a little…" Alex clicked her tongue and did a hand gestured, "A bit dicey in my opinion."

Bo chuckled and remarked, "I'm certain it'll be fine. I'll be glad to see everyone though." Lauren walked by them and headed for the stairs. She didn't look at Bo so she asked, "What are you doing?"

Lauren looked over her shoulder at her and said, "I'm going to go take a bath."

Bo arched an eyebrow and asked, "Should I join you."

"No." Lauren replied as she continued to go up the stairs.

As Lauren disappeared up the stairs Bo stood there surprised by the response. Alex sucked air in through her teeth then commented, "Damn she is pissed at you. What did you do?"

Bo sighed then headed for the stairs and as she started up them she answered, "Apparently I haven't done enough."

When Bo got to the second floor she walked to her and Lauren's room. Once she was in it and had the door closed she took off the shoes that she was wearing then headed for the bathroom. She pushed open the door that was opened a crack then leaned against the doorframe. Lauren was lying in the tub as the water ran out of the faucet. Bo took in the sight of her naked girlfriend and was hypnotised by how beautiful she was. She noticed the necklace that rested on her chest and a small smile formed on her face. Lauren looked at her and said, "You're being creepy."

Bo's smile widened and as she chuckled, "I didn't mean to be creepy." She walked into the bathroom and went over to the tub then sat on the edge of it, "Are we okay?"

Lauren let out a soft scoff, "We aren't finished Bo."

Bo stood up and began to unbutton the shirt she was wearing, "Okay. So we won't get out of this tub until we have resolved everything."

Lauren turned the tap off with her foot and remarked, "I doubt we'll resolve anything. You'll argue about my education and I'll argue that I can work something out but you will continue to argue it because you think you're right which you aren't. I just need to call the head of the academic department and will probably have to speak with the dean but you're going to continue to doubt my ability to fix this until I prove you wrong."

Bo stopped undressing, "Is this what this is about? You think I doubt your ability to fix this?"

Lauren looked up at her and countered, "You're telling me that's not the case?"

This entire situation was a misunderstanding and Bo was actually relieved because she didn't want to spend her entire trip home arguing with Lauren. She knelt down and smiled at Lauren, "You beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman that I love. You have it completely wrong." Bo reached out and placed her hand on Lauren's cheek, "I don't doubt your ability to fix this nor do I doubt your ability to find some way for you to be with me in Italy. My only concern is your schooling and you." Bo rubbed Lauren's cheekbone with the pad of her thumb as she explained, "I don't want you to put yourself in some situation where you're going to overwork yourself and stress out. As much as I would like to have you in Italy, and I know you said I come first, but you also come first for me. And I want to see you do everything necessary for you to reach your full potential in a sane manner." Bo grinned, "But if you can find some way that doesn't stress you out or causes you to run yourself ragged then by all means go for it. I'm one hundred percent supportive of anything that will get you to Italy."

Lauren smiled back at her then placed her hand on Bo's wrist, "Even if I do stress out or overwork myself I know that you'll be there to keep me in line and will make sure that I'm taken of."

Bo got a serious look on her face, "Damn right I will."

Lauren chuckled and sighed, "And that's what I love about you. You put me first and you make sure I'm taken care of and loved. So Bo I can do this and I want to do this." Lauren took hold of her hand and gave it a light squeeze, "This summer in Italy is you doing the things necessary so you can reach your full potential. I'm only doing the same thing that you'll being doing for me when we're in Boston. So I'll get something figured out that will be sane and won't have you worrying. Okay?"

Bo regarded Lauren for a moment. This was one of those moments where Lauren's maturity would break through and make her realise that Lauren was still growing as a person. And she thought it was a wondrous thing to witness. Bo gave Lauren a slight nod, "Okay."

Lauren leaned forward and kissed Bo. The kiss was a loving and gentle and it made Bo's heart soar with so much love for Lauren. Lauren pulled back from the kiss then smiled, "Now are we all set?"

Bo grinned and remarked, "I don't know. Are we?"

Lauren gave her another kiss then returned the grin, "Absolutely. So much so that I think I want you to join me in the tub." Bo stood up so she could finish undressing but Lauren grabbed her hand and said, "But first can you go get the banana cream pie?" Bo got a blank expression on her face which caused Lauren to give her a sheepish smile, "I've got a sweet tooth all of a sudden."

Bo shook her head then bent down and to kiss her girlfriend before she murmured, "You're so fricking adorable sometimes and you know I can't say no to you when you're being adorable."

Lauren gave her a cute little smirk, "But you know you like it."

"I'm not going to admit that." She gave Lauren one more kiss then stood up and put on her shirt as she said, "I'll be back."

After she was dressed she was walking out of the bathroom when Lauren called out, "Oh Bo…" She turned around and looked at Lauren who grinned, "Can you bring up the white wine too?"

Bo rolled her eyes in mock annoyance then laughed, "You're lucky I love you."

As she walked out of the bathroom she heard Lauren shout, "But I give you sex."

She laughed and before she was out of the room she hollered, "And it's really awesome sex but that doesn't mean you can boss me around."

"I'm not bossing you around. I just want a snack with our bath is that too much to ask for?" Lauren yelled from the bathroom.

Bo shook her head and responded, "No dear it is not. I will be back with your pie and wine." She left out of the room and mumbled, "I am such a sucker."

* * *

_Saturday Morning….._

Lauren was the first one to wake up and Bo was lying on her stomach looking away from her. She let out a small chuckle because the two of them could fall asleep completely wrapped up in each other but by morning they would be on opposite sides of the bed. Lauren scooted closer to Bo then moved her dark to the side exposing her naked back and one of her shoulders. She pressed a kiss to Bo's shoulder blade and closed her eyes. She had enjoyed waking up to Bo the last few days and though there was a small voice in the back of her mind that taunted her with the fact that Bo was only home for a short amount of time she chose to ignore it. Instead she revelled in the delight of having Bo around and in the joy of being with her. Lauren opened her eyes and watched as her fingers made a light path down Bo's back which left goose bumps in their wake causing her to smirk. She couldn't get enough of Bo. Their two months of being separated had only caused a deeper need in her and no matter how many times they had sex the need was never sated. Lauren grinned and moved to where she was hovering over Bo then positioned her leg between Bo's thighs making sure her thigh would make contact with the juncture between them when she moved forward. She leaned forward letting her nipples graze across Bo's exposed back, which sent a wonderful sensation through her, and as she did she kissed the top of Bo's shoulder then whispered, "Bo..."

Bo didn't move so Lauren used her thigh to apply pressure to the area between Bo's legs and Bo let out a soft groan. Lauren smiled and thought about how her girlfriend was always ready for sex. She kissed the back of Bo's neck the whispered against her ear in a sing-song voice, "Time to get up." She moved her thigh up in a slow upward motion hoping to add some friction to the pressure. Still Bo continued to fight waking up. Lauren let out a small chuckle as she realised that she would need to take drastic measures. She ran her hand down Bo's side which caused a small smirk to appear on Bo's face and as her hand made its way over the soft skin of Bo's ass she kissed the turned up corner of her mouth. Bo let out a soft moan as Lauren's fingers ran up the inside of her thigh and when she reached the smooth silky, lips between Bo's legs she stroked them and Bo's hips began to move. Lauren teased Bo until finally the other woman moaned out in a tired voice, "Lauren please..."

Lauren smiled to herself then dropped her head to place a kiss on Bo's shoulder as a lone digit slid into the slick folds and Bo moaned into the pillow beneath her head. She went slow wanting to enjoy the feel of touching Bo in the most intimate of places. Bo's ass rocked into her as she tried to increase the pace that Lauren had set but Lauren continued to only give her slow steady strokes even as her own excitement became quite obvious. Lauren pulled the saturated finger out of Bo then glided it down to rub her sensitive clit. Bo groaned into the pillow and bucked her ass into her. Lauren's persistent caresses brought Bo closer to her orgasm then when only soft whimpers were coming from the brunette she stopped her ministrations and plunged two of her fingers deep inside Bo who let out a loud moan into the pillow that now covered her face. Her moaning continued as Lauren drove her fingers in and out of Bo in quick thrusts. It was when the grazed over the hypersensitive area inside of Bo that she cried out, "Oh sweet...fuck." Then Lauren felt the muscles tighten around her fingers. She continued to move her fingers and when she was able to get a second orgasm out of Bo she pulled out of her then kissed her shoulder before she laid down on top of her. They laid in that position for several minutes then Bo uncovered her head and started to roll over. Lauren moved to where she was laying on her side of the bed and as soon as Bo was facing her she captured her lips in a passionate kiss that ignited the dull throb that was between Lauren's legs. Bo climbed on top of her and without any preamble Lauren felt two of her fingers enter her. It was such a surprise that she dug her nails into Bo's back and moaned in her mouth. Bo took her hard and fast and all Lauren could do was cling to her body as Bo's fingers slid in and out of her at an accelerated pace. She broke the kiss when Bo's thumb stimulated her hard clit causing her to arch off of the bed and moan out. Bo began to kiss and bite at her neck and Lauren drowned in the passion between them. Her only response was to yell out for more. The sexual energy between them was almost primal and was a sharp contrast from the energy that was between them only minutes ago. It wasn't long before Lauren was shouting out Bo's name as a wave of euphoria and pleasure came over her. Bo had slowed down the pace of her fingers as Lauren came and it prolonged her orgasm a few seconds longer then Bo removed her fingers from her before she laid on top of her.

The two of them lay in bed both panting trying to catch their breaths from the intense round of lovemaking they just had. Bo kissed Lauren's neck and murmured, "I might have gotten a little out of control."

Lauren let out a tired chuckle, "I did too. And I'm certain everyone in the house already knows we have some mind blowing sex but this will only confirm it."

Bo laughed as she got off her, "It will but I'm certain you don't want your parents to know."

Lauren rolled to where she was on her stomach then wrapped her leg around Bo's. She wasn't quite ready for them to be apart yet. Bo gave her arm a gentle tug and Lauren smiled as she scooted over so she could cuddle up to Bo. This was a perfect morning considering how crappy they had been the last couple of months. They laid there in silence content with being wrapped up in each other. Bo was playing with Lauren's hair and she kissed her forehead before saying, "I'm surprised you were able to get the dean to let you push back those two courses."

Lauren gave a slight nod and sighed, "Well my grades are pretty much impeccable so he really had no argument considering I've been balancing eight courses the last two semesters."

"You are remarkable you know that?" Bo told her as she kissed the top of her head."

Lauren chuckled and remarked, "I sort of need to be so I won't be in medical school forever. I want to be in my specialty by the time I'm your age."

"Is that a crack at my age?" Bo laughed

Lauren sat up and gave her a kiss, "No I'm just saying I have goals and I will reach them by a certain point in my life."

Bo grinned at her and asked, "Do any of those goals include me marrying you?"

Lauren got a frozen look on her face. She still hadn't come to terms with the fact that Bo wanted to marry her. She still felt as though Bo deserved to marry someone who wasn't her. Then on top of that, even though she loved Bo with everything, she wasn't certain she wanted to marry her. The topic alone made her nervous. When she had thought of her future before Bo she only saw her career as a surgeon and researcher and nothing else. Her bad streak with relationships was enough to make her feel apathetic about them in the future. But now there was Bo and Bo wanted to get married and have kids. Lauren hadn't even thought about kids. That was something her mind couldn't even try to imagine. It seized up at the thought. She gave Bo a tight smile, "I think we should shower and go make breakfast."

Lauren got out of bed and she had noticed the look of hurt that had crossed Bo's face but she didn't have an answer for her. Not when she didn't even know if she wanted to marry Bo. Lauren went into the bathroom and started the shower. Bo walked into the bathroom and looked at Lauren in the mirror before she walked up behind her. She wrapped her arms around her waist then kissed her shoulder and whispered, "You have a lot on your plate right now and I know that isn't your focus at them moment. But I hope one day it is and that it will be something that we can talk about without you getting scared."

Lauren turned around and began to explain, "Bo I'm sor-"

Bo silenced her with a kiss then insisted, "Don't apologise for how you feel. Never do that. You're allowed to feel scared and you're allowed to say you don't want to marry me. Does it hurt me?" Bo sighed and admitted, "Yeah it does but I'd rather you tell me the truth instead of lying to placate my feelings." Lauren got a guilty look on her face and Bo kissed her then said, "I know you love me so don't feel bad for not wanting to marry me." She got a grin on her face, "Maybe we're not one of those marrying couples."

Lauren felt an overwhelming love the woman standing in front of her. She loved her so much that her heart felt as though it would explode from her chest. Lauren threaded her fingers through Bo's messy hair then pulled her head forward so that their lips met in a tender kiss. It lasted for a brief moment and when she pulled back she said in a hushed voice, "I love you so much and you are too good to me."

Bo chuckled then gave her a quick kiss before smiling, "No I'm not. I'm just in love with you." She took hold of Lauren's hand, "Let's shower then go have some breakfast."

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Bo was walking down the hall so she could go answer the front door and she yelled, "Matthew that steak has been marinating for two days now. If you think I'm going to let you cook it then you are out of your damn mind." She opened the door and before she could recognise who it was she was enveloped in a big hug. Bo chuckled when she realised who it was then wrapped her arms around her mom, "Hey mom it's good to see you too."

Her mom gave her one more squeeze then exclaimed, "Oh my god I didn't know you were coming home." Aife gave her a kiss on the cheek then scowled, "Did Lauren know about this? If so I have a few choice words with that young woman."

Bo laughed then said, "No Lauren didn't know. In fact me coming home was a drunk decision caused by the fact that I missed Lauren."

Aife raised an eyebrow at her and observed, "You've never done this before. Hell when we were living together you would disappear for months and would only call me once in a blue moon."

They began to walk toward the kitchen and Bo countered, "Well you were never home to begin with. And Lauren is different so I respond differently to her." Bo felt her mom's hand on her upper arm and she looked at her. She could see the questioning look in her eyes and Bo sighed, "What Ma?"

Aife smiled at her then placed her hand on her cheek, "You love her."

"I do." Bo grinned.

Aife chuckled then said in a quiet voice, "You have big plans for the two of you and I'm so happy for you."

Bo rolled her eyes and replied, "I've always had big plans but now they've gotten bigger and include Lauren."

"Bo who was at the door?" Lauren called out as she came down the stairs.

Lauren walked into the small hallway and she smiled when she saw Aife, "You see we have another guest joining us?"

Aife laughed and Bo watched her go over to hug Lauren. Bo had a smile on her face as she watched her mother and Lauren. Her mom hadn't been fond of anyone that she had dated but seeing her be so warm towards Lauren told her that she had made the right decision with Lauren. She felt two heavy hands drop onto her shoulders and she commented, "You better not have done anything to my steak Matthew."

He chuckled behind her then joked, "I put some hot sauce in your marinade." She elbowed him in the stomach and he grunted, "Just kiddin'." Then he lowered his voice, "Lauren's gotten close to your mom while you've been gone."

Bo moved then looked at him, "That's good to hear considering-" She stopped and shook her head, "Let's go start-up the grill."

She and Matt went outside to the back deck then Bo started up the grill. Once it was lit she turned and looked at Matt and he grinned at her, "What's up Bo-licious?"

Bo rolled her eyes and sighed. She had been thinking about her and Lauren's conversation from early this morning. She had tried her best to not let it get to her but it was hard thing to do. Bo knew in almost every fibre of her being that she wanted to marry Lauren but she couldn't understand why Lauren wouldn't want to marry her. Everything about Lauren said that she loved Bo and Bo always believed it would be an obvious answer. And she knew Lauren was young but she thought the two of them could have a long engagement then they could get married in a year or two. Bo sighed again and walked forward so she could brace herself on the deck rail next to Matt. She was quiet a moment then wondered, "In your opinion, as Lauren's older brother, why do you think she doesn't want to get married?"

Matt laughed then he took a swig from his beer before saying, "You do get that she's a baby right?" Bo looked at him and scowled. He shook his head then explained, "She's just getting out of college Bo and getting her life to where it needs to be. I don't think she has time to think about marriage." He chuckled, "Plus Lauren's always been one track minded and her being involved with you and her loving you like she does is forcing her to be two track minded. It's a new thing for her." He shrugged and added, "Trust me this is something she hasn't even thought about."

Bo let out a sigh and relented, "I know. I mean about her just getting her life started." She got a small smile on her face, "But is it so bad for me to want that though? Or at least put the thought in her head and let her know that I'm thinking about that?"

Matt chuckled and told her, "Nope not at all. In fact if you hadn't told her she probably wouldn't have thought about it because she's happy with you. And when Lauren's happy there's no reason for her to think about anything else."

Bo let her head fall as she asked, "Am I going to have to keep reminding her?"

Matt chuckled and before he took a drink from his beer, "Oh yeah."

Bo shook her head then went back inside to the kitchen so she could prepare the food the food that needed to be cooked. Bo was seasoning the chicken when Lauren came into the kitchen then walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist. She kissed the back of Bo's neck then whispered, "You do know I like it when you cook."

Bo chuckled and remarked, "Well how often do you get to see me cook these days?" She felt a quick bite to the back of her neck, "Ow. What was that for?"

Lauren gave the spot she bit a kiss then told her, "I don't want you to mention the fact that you're not here, here."

Bo stopped what she was doing then moved out Lauren's arms to go over to the sink to wash her hands."I know you don't but I am leaving in two days Lauren and we won't see each other for another two months." Bo snapped.

"I get that Bo and I understand. But right now you're here and I don't want to think about it." Lauren shook her head then told her, "Since we're on the topic I want you to know that I'm not going with you to the airport. I saw you off once and I can't do it again. It was too much." Lauren said crossing her arm over her chest and Bo knew she was about to get combative with her.

She sighed out, "Okay fine." It was far from fine but if that's what Lauren wanted to do then so be it. "I'm going to go cook the food. When are your parents getting here?"

Lauren looked at her with and irritated look on her face, "They should be here soon."

Bo got the couple of containers that held the food that she was going to cook then walked over to the back door, "Okay." She walked out and when she was on the deck she put the containers down on the table by the grill. Getting in an argument was the last thing she wanted to do especially considering she was going to be leaving in less than forty-eight hours. Bo sighed and started grilling up the chicken.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The entire family was sitting at the dinner table and everyone was enjoying the meal. Except Lauren. She had little interest in what was going on. Everyone was too busy talking to Bo about Italy and her work over there. Lauren tried her best to appear happy but she was failing because she felt miserable. She was poking at the pasta on her plate when her mom asked, "Lauren since you won't be staying with your father and I in the summer how will you and Bo look for an apartment while you're in Italy?"

Lauren sighed and put down her fork, "I'll be looking online and getting in contact with some agencies. Plus I have to be back in the middle of July to start work for the two classes I'm pushing back so I'll look then."

Her dad gave her a curious look and wondered, "Where will you be staying when you come back in July? Because I'm certain Bo will have the house sold by then." He smiled and pointed out, "It's a prime piece of real estate."

Lauren let out a frustrated sigh, "I'm certain I can find a monthly living situation while I'm looking for a place. I plan to get a job as a research assistant so that way I don't have to ask you and mom for money while I'm out there."

Her dad chuckled, "Your mother and I have no problem supporting you while you're in Boston Lo. We want you to focus on your schooling."

Lauren couldn't take her bad mood at on her dad so she smiled, "I appreciate it dad and if I need any help I'll let you and mom know but I think it will be good for me to get a job."

Her dad gave a slight nod, "Alright dear."

The conversation moved to Alex and Piper and their post college plans. Lauren was glad for the topic change because it meant she was free to skulk without pretending to be a part of the conversation. She felt a soft squeeze to her thigh and she looked over at Bo who was giving her small smile but she couldn't find the energy to return it. She dropped her fork then got up from the table. Lauren headed into the sitting room and went over to the bar to make herself a drink. She sat down in the arm chair and drank her drink in the dimly lit room. She was only alone for a minute then Bo walked into the room asking, "What did I do?"

Lauren took a long drink from her glass then answered, "You didn't do anything Bo. I'm just not in a good mood."

Bo walked over to the arm chair and took the glass from her, "Do you want to talk to me about it?" Lauren looked up at her and shook her head no. Bo took a sip from her glass then handed it back to her. "That drink is awfully strong for someone who doesn't want to talk."

Lauren rolled her eyes and retorted, "Yeah well you've done enough talking for the both of us today so I've got nothing further to say."

"What is this about Lauren?" Bo asked her this time being more persistent.

Lauren let out a soft snort then told her, "It doesn't matter. It's probably me being too emotional or whatever."

Bo ran her hand through her hair and countered, "The circles that you are talking in make no sense right now."

"Earlier when I said I didn't want to talk about you leaving on Monday you basically shut down my feelings." She made an idle gesture, "As though this is our reality and I better accept I and forget my feelings."

Bo sighed and knelt down in front of her, "That's not what I was trying to do earlier Lauren." Lauren saw Bo drop her head then she looked back up at her. There was a look of hurt in her eyes that was so strong that it made Lauren's breath hitch. She began to wonder what she had done to the brunette. Bo took a deep breath then admitted, "At the time I was still reeling from some things and I might have taken it out on you and I'm sorry."

Lauren looked at Bo and right away she knew what she had been upset about. Lauren let her head fall back against the chair and she looked up at the ceiling as she wondered, "Is this about the marriage thing?"

Bo sighed and confessed, "It was." Then she added, "And I still stand by what I told you, but I'm allowed to be upset by it."

"You can Bo." Lauren took a drink from her glass then said, "I wish I could explain it to you but I can't." She put her glass on the table next to the chair then she leant forward so she could place her hand on Bo's cheek, "All I can say is that on a surface level it's something I've never thought about before."

"And on a deeper level?"

Lauren got up from the chair and moved away from Bo so she could pace. She wasn't ready for them to have this conversation. It was too soon and she still hadn't worked through her thoughts on the matter. It would probably be awhile before she would be able to. She ran her hand through her hair and finally answered, "It's complicated."

Bo scoffed and Lauren noticed the frustration in her voice as she questioned, "It's complicated? What does that even mean? Like what makes talking about this so complicated Lauren?"

Lauren wasn't ready to talk to Bo about all her insecurities about marrying her and she certainly wasn't ready to declare that she was ready for such a serious commitment. At this moment all she knew was that she wanted to be with Bo and that was all she knew. She let out an irritated breath, "It doesn't matter Bo. I'm not ready to talk about it."

"When will you be ready to talk about it Lauren?" Bo shot back."

Lauren tried to keep her emotions under control. She could tell that Bo was getting emotional because she talking about something she was passionate about. Bo was always passionate about them. She would do whatever it took to make sure they survived but Lauren wondered if Bo would stay around if she knew about her insecurities. Bo perceived her as this confident, intelligent person when half the time Lauren was so unsure of herself. And she was afraid that if she and Bo discussed her insecurities then Bo would probably think she was too immature to handle a serious relationship and would leave her. So they weren't going to discuss it. At least not tonight. Lauren remained quiet and neither of them said a word. Bo shook her head then began to leave out of the sitting room. Lauren followed after her and asked, "Where are you going?"

She watched as Bo took a deep breath then she looked at her and said, "I need to go for a walk or something. I need to clear my mind. I can't be objective or understanding when my own emotions are running wild. It won't solve anything even though you don't want to talk anyway. "

"Bo I'll-"

"It doesn't matter Lauren. I'll..." She trailed off then continued, "I'll be back."

Lauren watched Bo leave out of the house and her vision began to blur. Bo had walked away from an argument that they were having and that was new. Bo always wanted to work things out no matter how pissed off they were with each other. Lauren was scared and she didn't know if she should go after Bo or not. So she didn't deciding that Bo wanted to be left alone with her thoughts. And she figured that when Bo got back they would talk and work everything out. Lauren headed back to the dining room holding onto the hope that Bo would come back home when she was calmer.

The rest of dinner had continued even though it was tense and ten minutes after Lauren had returned to the table Aife had received a call then left minutes later. Her only explanation was that Bo had called her and that was when the heavy feeling started in Lauren's stomach. Now it was close to midnight and Bo wasn't home. Lauren was curled up in their bed hugging Bo's pillow when her phone began to ring. Her anticipation rose and she wished that it was Bo calling her. And when she saw on the display that it was Bo calling her Lauren got a big smile on her face. She answered the phone, "Bo?"

The line was quiet for a moment then Bo cleared her throat and said, "Yeah."

"Where are you?" Lauren asked even though worry began to seep into her mind. Something was wrong but she couldn't tell what it was.

Bo didn't answer her right away eventually she sighed, "It-Lauren we need to talk."

The bottom of Lauren's stomach dropped out and she didn't hide the hesitation in her voice when she replied, "Okay what do we need to talk about?"

She heard Bo breathe in then exhale before saying, "I think we need to take a break."

"A break?" Lauren repeated confused by what Bo meant. "What kind of a break Bo?"

Bo sighed again then explained, "I need to think about things between us. Because I want one thing and you seem to not want the same thing as me so I need to evaluate and decide if this one thing is that important to me."

Lauren's eyebrow's furrowed. For her some reason her brain couldn't comprehend the words Bo that was saying. She didn't bother to hide the in confusion in her voice as she asked, "Are we breaking up?"

"I don't know." Bo said in a quiet voice. "I just need some time Lauren."

Lauren couldn't believe what was going on and she didn't know what to say. She knew this wasn't what she wanted but what else was she to do? "Bo I don't want to do this."

She heard Bo sniffle on the end of the phone and her voice broke when she said, "I don't either Lauren but we both need to think about what we want out of this relationship." Bo paused and Lauren heard her sniffle again before she continued, "Think about what's important then when I come home in two months we can see where we're at."

Lauren was completely baffled by this conversation and she exclaimed, "Bo no. Come home now and we can work this out."

"We're too emotional Lauren. And I think this time apart will clear our minds." Bo sighed then told her, "I've got to go Lauren. I-I'll talk to you later."

That was the end of the conversation but neither of them hung up. Lauren found her voice after several seconds, "I love you Bo. Please."

"I know Lauren. I know."

Then the line disconnected. Lauren felt as though her very heart had been ripped from her chest even though the entire situation felt like some weird dream that she couldn't wake up from. But it wasn't. She was very much awake. And the rapid beating of her heart told her that she was still alive despite the fact that there was a numb feeling creeping into every part of her body. Lauren failed to notice the tears that had begun to fall and as she curled up on the bed she denied the fact that this was happening as quiet sobs escaped from her.  _There is no way this is happening. No way at all._


	6. Are We Out of The Wood Yet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks are italicized.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters they belong to the wonderful people of Lost Girl, Showcase, Prodigy, et al. and borrowed Orange Is The New Black characters also belong to their respective studios and creators.

Bo leaned back in her office chair and looked at the report that she was typing up. It was a report on her findings for her portion of the study that she was assisting on and she had been working on it for the last three hours. Bo stretched out her cramped fingers then got up and walked over to the open window. It was a warm, sunny day. There was a gentle breeze blowing and the countryside looked stunning. And right away Bo thought of the one person that she wished was there with her. Her heart began to ache while her vision became blurry. She blinked and a tear ran down her cheek. This last week had been hard on her. Anytime she thought about Lauren she thought about the decision she had made and if it had been the right one. Every minute that she had been able to Bo would dwell on the events that happened well over a week ago and her mind would replay the conversation in her mind.

_"Bo no. Come home and we can work this out." Lauren pleaded in her ear. Bo could feel her resolve cracking around the edges. She had to do this. She needed time to think and the only thing that would happen if she were to go home to Lauren was an argument. But she couldn't do that because her level of emotion was too high._

_Bo wiped away a tear only to have another replace it, ""We're too emotional Lauren. And I think this time apart will clear our minds." She took a deep breath. This was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. Telling the love of her life that she needed space from her and it was breaking Bo's heart into a million pieces. She needed to end the call before she lost all her willpower. "I have to go Lauren. I-I'll talk to you later." She almost told Lauren that she loved her. And she did. So much. But there was too much uncertainty between them and she didn't want to give Lauren false hope if things weren't going to work out._

_The dead air was heavy even through the phone lines and Bo silently cried as she listened to the unsteady breaths that Lauren let out. Bo had to cover her mouth when she heard the break in Lauren's voice when she begged, "I love you Bo. Please."_

_Bo's throat tightened and she struggled to say something and the only thing that she could say was, "I know Lauren. I know." Then she quickly disconnected the call then lost whatever control she had and broke down._

Bo sighed as the memory of that phone call tore at her heart again. Every day since that conversation it hadn't fully recovered and she doubted it ever would. It was a torment that she had willingly put herself through and each day Bo was ready to pick up the phone to call Lauren so that she could tell her that she had been an idiot. Her mother had certainly called her one the next morning.

_Bo felt like shit. She had been crying all night long and felt as though her heart had been put through a ringer. She had wanted to stay in bed until she left the next day but her mom had stayed with her at the hotel and had been persistent in them having breakfast this morning. Bo walked out of the bathroom and walked into the living room of the suite. Her mother was sitting at the table reading the newspaper while she waited for her. Bo dropped down into the chair across from her and her mom stated, "You look like shit dear."_

_Bo scoffed and reached for the jug of orange juice, "Well mother how else am I to look after telling the love of my life that we needed a break because I am so set on us getting married?"_

_Aife gave her a pointed look and countered, "You can deal with this however you like Bo, but I refuse for you to let you go into depression because of it. This was your choice and I told you I didn't support it."_

_Bo got up with her half-glass of orange juice then headed over to the mini-bar. There was no way she could continue to feel every emotion that was going through her. She needed a moment where she didn't feel anything. Bo got a little bottle of vodka then poured all of its contents into her orange juice before taking a large gulp from the glass. Her mom had told her last night that she was making the wrong decision but Bo had chosen to ignore her because she believed that this was what she and Lauren needed. Bo took another drink then placed the glass down on the bar top, "I know it was my decision but it can still hurt me mother."_

_"It's just marriage Bo. There is no need to destroy an entire relationship over-"_

_"It's not just marriage." Bo shouted. Then she began to explain, "It is a life with the woman I love. And the fact that she doesn't want to get married it's-it hurts because I thought she wanted the same thing too." Tears now fell from her eyes, "I could look into her eyes and I could see that we were meant to be."_

_Aife sighed then got up from the table and walked over to her daughter. Bo let her mother comfort her and for a moment she felt as though she were a little girl again. Aife let out a breath then asked, "Why is this so important to you Bo? Marriage doesn't have to destroy what you say is meant to be. Why do you need this formality?"_

_Bo closed her eyes and took another moment before she pulled away sighing, "Because I love her. I want us to have the ceremony where we are declaring our love for each other in front of everyone we want to be a part of it. I never want what we are to ever be questioned. She is..." Bo took a deep breath then exhaled, "She is everything."_

_Aife nodded in understanding then placed her hand on Bo's cheek, "Then why are you doing this? It doesn't make sense."_

_Bo picked up her glass and took a long drink from it then answered, "Because I have to decide if I can give this up for her and I can't pretend that I'm not hurting every time we talk. I need to honestly sort out my feelings without repressing them. So...I need space to do that."_

Bo moved away from the window then walked over to her desk so she could get a tissue to wipe her eyes. She had tried to sort out her feelings but everything was still so confusing. She knew what she would eventually decide, but coming to terms with it was hard. Bo walked behind her desk then plopped down into her chair. She had to finish typing up her report before her next class because the lead researcher was expecting her findings in a couple of hours. She opened the top drawer of her desk and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen then took two before she went back to work. About an hour and a half later she was sending off her report and she was about to stand up from her chair when her phone began to chime. Bo got a confused look on her face because she had been ignoring everyone for the most part. With the exception of her mother because if she didn't talk to her then she would hear about it for the next four years. Bo grimaced as she realised that she would also be hearing about how she had ruined her mother's chances at becoming a grandmother if things didn't work out between her and Lauren. Bo took a deep breath in an attempt to stave off another wave of melancholy. She picked up her phone and saw that she had a message on Skype from Lauren. The butterflies instantly flooded her stomach. She hadn't spoken to Lauren since that night and had begun to believe that Lauren wasn't going to try but her she was looking at an instant message from Lauren that read, "I hope you're having a good day."

Bo continued to stare at the message and she didn't know if she should respond to it or not. There were a lot of things that they needed to talk about and the simple message seemed like a loaded one. She stared at the message a moment longer then opened the top drawer of her desk and dropped her phone in it. She wasn't going to talk to Lauren until she had everything figured out because if she did then she would become distracted from the real reason as to why they were broken up...well on a break. Bo shook her head. She didn't know what they were and she hated it. She got up then grabbed the shoulder bag that held her class notes and briefcase before leaving out of her office. And even as she walked the halls to her classroom Bo continued to think about Lauren and the message and what it could mean. All Bo knew was that Lauren was trying and despite herself she began to hope that they would be able to fix things. The only thing she was worried about was how bad things would get before they got better and that was only if they got better.

* * *

_Yesterday…._

Lauren had woken up the same way she had woken up the last six days. She was out of bed by the time the alarm went off and was in the shower once it did go off. Then once she was done in the bathroom she was out of the house. She had spent several hours in the lab doing research for her immunology, microbiology, and pathology class because absorbing herself in schoolwork prevented her from thinking about her current reality. And if she thought about the how things were between her and Bo then she would do the same thing that she had been doing for the last six days. Blaming herself. Bo had broken up with her and the day that she had left for Italy Aife had called Lauren to let her know that Bo was gone. She had left without saying a word. After that Lauren had closed herself off to everyone and hadn't spoken to anyone about the situation between her and Bo. Lauren had compartmentalised her feelings and hadn't even bother to deal with them because she believed that there was no point in doing so. Although with each day that passed were she hadn't spoken to Bo another part of her died and was replaced with numbness. After spending her morning in the lab she went to her classes which lasted for most of the afternoon then she went to the library to do some research for the last few projects that she had for her final semester. Lauren got home around eight and once she was in the house she walked through the living room, ignoring Alex and Piper, and went down the hall to the guest room that was on the first floor and was across the hall from Bo's old office which the door was closed to. She had moved to the small guest room because she couldn't be surrounded by the memories of her and Bo. It was bad enough that she was still in the house. Lauren booted up her computer and began to work on the final assignments that would finish off her first year of medical school. And that's how she spent the rest of her evening before she went to bed.

"Get up." Someone shouted at her. Lauren thought she was dreaming so she only groaned and pulled the blanket over her head. It was ripped off of her then the person demanded again, "Get up Lauren."

Lauren balled up on the bed and kept her eyes close. Then as she tried to go back to sleep she realised who was ordering her out of bed. Lauren cracked one of her eyes open and glowered, "What the hell are you doing here Matthew?"

He crossed his arms over his broad chest and scowled, "Piper called me and told me that you were working yourself to death and that you haven't said anything to anyone since we all left Saturday." He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, "You haven't even told us what happened between you and Bo but I can take four guesses as to what happened." When Lauren only continued to stare at him he raised an eyebrow then held up one finger, "You," he held up another, "won't," another finger went up, "marry," he put up his pinkie as he finished, "her."

Lauren shot up in bed and asked, "Did she tell you? Have you talked to her?"

Matt shook his head no then pinned her with a pointed look, "No I haven't. She won't talk to me. So you have to. What the hell happened Lauren?" He got up and gestured, "She was good for you and you were happy. She loves you so what the fuck did you?"

"I didn't do a fucking thing Matthew." She shot back then argued, "And why are you on her side? You're my brother not hers."

Matt ran his hand through his short hair then let a terse laugh, "I'd rather be her brother than yours then I wouldn't have to deal with this moronic bullshit half the damn time."

"Did you just call me a moron?"

He gave her an annoyed look and countered, "Yeah I fuckin did. So what?"

Lauren glared at him for a moment then reached for the blanket on the floor as she remarked, "So nothing. Go away and leave me the hell alone."

Matt snorted and told her, "I really wish I could but I can't. I have to do the same thing I've done for you every time you're about to do something stupid because that huge ass brain of yours can't see the bigger picture."

"What is the bigger picture here Matthew?" Lauren shouted. Tears came to her eyes as she let out all the emotion that she had been holding in for the last six days. "Because I thought the bigger picture was Bo and I being together and being happy. But clearly I was wrong. So what is the bigger picture now? Because she's broken up with me because I won't marry her and I won't marry her because I'm too scared. She deserves better Matthew and she doesn't need to be with someone who needs constant saving by her big brother. Bo needs to be with someone who is secure, stable, and has their shit together." Lauren wiped at her face even though the tears continued to flow. She let out a quiet sob, "She needs someone that isn't me and can give her what she needs."

Lauren covered her face and continued to cry even as Matt sat down on the bed next to her so he could wrap his arms around her. Matt comforted her while she cried then when she had quieted down to hiccups he sighed and said, "Lo you need to understand that you are what she needs."

Lauren shook her head against his shoulder, "No I'm not. She and I are at two different places in life and I'm afraid to get married. I'm going to screw it up like I've screwed up every other relationship I've had."

Matt sighed again then rubbed her shoulder, "Bo understands that. And she's not even asking you to marry her. She just wants you to think about it because when she looks at you she can't think about anything else. Bo loves you so much Lauren." He paused for a second then asked, "Why do you think you'll screw it up?"

Lauren closed her eyes tighter as she thought about his question. Her history with relationships wasn't good a one then on top of that she knew that she was a driven and focused person and when she was extremely focused she tended to isolate herself when she was working on something that challenged her. And she knew it would get worse while she was in medical school and during her residency then most likely her career. Lauren opened her eyes and admitted, "I can be very focused Matt. You know that and I'm afraid that Bo will reach some breaking point in regards to it and leave me. Or she'll make choose my career over her and that wouldn't be fair to either of us."

"Has Bo at any point in you two's relationship given you any indication that she would do that?" Matt asked disbelief apparent in his tone.

Lauren thought about it and then sighed, "No. She's been nothing but supportive, but-"

Matt interrupted her with a scoff then insisted, "There is no but here Lauren. If you have never seen the way that she looks at you then I have to say you're a damn idiot because she adores the crap out of you and would do anything for you."

Lauren couldn't argue that because she knew all too well how Bo would look at her. Sometimes she would catch Bo looking at her and the look on Bo's face told her that they would be forever. But now they weren't going to be and it was her fault. Lauren sighed, "Marriage is such a huge deal Matt and I never thought I would be in a relationship where I would have to think about it."

Matthew chuckled and told her, "Yeah well considering how bad Nadia dicked you over I wouldn't be surprised." Lauren sat up and scowled at him and he gave her an understanding look, "But Bo isn't Nadia Lauren. Bo is Bo and like I said she loves you and wants to marry your dumb ass." He smiled, "I don't think she has the capability to lie to you and I really don't think she has the capability to cheat on you repeatedly. You're it for her."

Lauren rested her head back on Matt's shoulder. She had been so blinded by her insecurities and fear of the past that it was preventing her from looking at her future with Bo. This entire time they had been together she had been in the now, but the now required her to look further ahead and she couldn't imagine a future without Bo. This meant that she had to decide if her insecurities were worth hanging onto or if she should let them go and put complete faith in Bo and their relationship. Both were scary options and she didn't know which choice was the right one. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Lauren cleared her mind and it wasn't long before she knew what she had to do. She sat up then reached over Matt to get her phone off the nightstand. He gave a confused look and asked, "What are you doing Lauren?"

She didn't answer him. Instead she looked at the time and saw that it nine in the morning which meant it was three in Italy. Lauren brought up Skype on her phone then sent Bo an instant message. She didn't know what she was doing and she didn't know what to expect considering she hadn't tried to contact Bo since the last time they had talked. Lauren dropped her phone on the bed then looked at her big brother. Matt had helped her through some tough times in her life and he was really good at giving her an ass kicking when she needed it. And she would always be grateful for his advice and his annoying protective nature. He was her best friend even when she didn't want him to be. She gave him a hug and said, "I love you Mattie."

He gave her gentle pat on the back and chuckled, "I love you too Lo." They were quiet a moment then he remarked, "And if you really want to show your gratitude naming you and Bo's first kid after me would be a great start. I don't care if it's a boy or girl."

Lauren sat up and rolled her eyes in mock annoyance, "That kid would always think they were in constant trouble. Also I don't think I can think about kids. I've only just started to think about the possibility of marriage. Let's not overwhelm me."

Matt laughed and said, "First that's the point. Then everyone will stop blaming me. And second you know you want to marry her Lo. Once you two talk about your insecurities you'll eventually realise that you and Bo deserve each other. Then you'll be ready for her to drop down on one knee." He made a gesture with his hand then continued, "From there it's all downhill. First you two will move to the suburbs. Then next up will be the annoying kids which will lead to the dark twisted path of dog ownership along with the white picket fence. It's sickening."

Matt gave her a smart ass look, complete with his signature grin and Lauren shook her head and chuckled, "Who knows you might beat me to it."

He got off the bed and scoffed, "Nope. I am a bachelor for life. There are too many hot chicks out there for me to just settle down." He gave her a wink and grinned, "Variety is the spice of life."

Lauren groaned and covered her face, "And now I go back to questioning how we are even related."

He laughed then told her, "We aren't because you're adopted. Come on let's go get some breakfast then you can tell me how you plan on wooing Bo back."

Lauren bit her lip as she remembered that she did need to fix everything between her and Bo. It was her fault that everything between them was so messed up. She got out of bed and sighed, "I don't know if she even wants to talk me Mattie."

Matt slung his arm around her shoulders and remarked, "Give her time Lo. For once try some patience and don't jump to the worse when she doesn't react in a way that you don't expect. You hurt her and you need to rebuild that trust with her."

Lauren took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Matt was right but she knew she wasn't going to bail because things between her and Bo were hard. All this was going to be worth it in the end and Lauren knew in her heart that it would be because she and Bo needed each other. Then a thought crept into her mind.  _That's only if Bo hasn't moved on to someone new already._

* * *

_A Month Later…._

Bo was packing her notes and laptop into her briefcase when her phone began to vibrate. She picked it up off the table and smiled when she saw who it was. She answered the call and grinned, "Is it lunch time already doctor?"

Lauren chuckled in her ear and told her, "It's breakfast here Bo."

"But it's lunch here and that doesn't matter. What are you eating?" Bo asked with a smile on her face hoping the double meaning behind her words wouldn't be missed.

Lauren let out a soft hum and it caused a reaction in Bo that caught her off guard. "It's not what I really want to be eating but this bagel makes an okay substitute. How was class Professor?"

Bo began to tell Lauren about her class as she walked out of the lecture hall and towards her office. She and Lauren had made a lot of progress in the last month. They had gone from Bo not responding to Lauren's messages to her responding to the messages and in the last week they had progressed to calling each other. After Bo had ignored her first message Lauren continued to send her messages and she would send Bo two in one day. The first message she would get was in the morning and it would tell her to have a good day. Then she would receive another message at night and that one would tell her to have sweet dreams. Bo had ignored them for the first two weeks but in the middle of the third week she caved and responded to Lauren's have a good day message. That then led to them talking every day via instant message along with them e-mailing each other. Bo was enjoying the slow manner in which they were getting back to where they used to be. And even though they were talking more and flirting with each other they still hadn't addressed the major issue that had caused the rift between them yet. Bo secretly wanted to avoid the subject a little longer because she was enjoying this happy bubble that they were in but she knew it would eventually happen.

Bo reached her office then once she had the door closed she asked, "Is Mattie still staying at the house and driving you, Piper, and Alex insane?"

Lauren groaned and commented, "There was a reason why I left home so fast and it was because of him."

Bo laughed as she sat down in her office chair then pointed out, "You're the one that gave him an open invitation."

She imagined the scowl on Lauren's face when she remarked, "Yeah but that doesn't mean he needs to take liberties."

"I'm certain he's just worried about you and looking out for you." Bo assured her hoping maybe that would make Lauren get off the topic.

Lauren scoffed and said, "Looking out for me went out the window two days ago. But at this point it doesn't matter. Graduation..." She trailed off.

When Lauren hadn't finished her sentence Bo raised her eyebrow but then she realised why the blonde had trailed off. All their plans were up in the air because their relationship was still in limbo. But Bo knew if they were able to work things out then she wanted them to continue on with the plans they had set forth. There was a momentary pause between them so Bo broke the silence, "How does it feel to be graduating?"

Lauren chuckled and told her, "A fucking relief. Now I only have to worry about med school." Lauren paused then asked with hesitation in her voice, "Are you still coming home for my graduation?"  
Bo got a small smile on her face. She was surprised that Lauren would bring up a topic that would lead them to talk about the issue between them. Bo tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair as she said, "I am. Unless you don't want me to be there."

"No. I mean-Yes. Yes I want you there." Lauren stammered before she let out a frustrated sigh.

Bo chuckled because she realised that Lauren was out of her element. She found it adorable. Bo smiled as she said, "Okay because I was going to come regardless."

Lauren laughed then asked, "Were you really going to do that?"

Bo gave a slight shrug of her shoulders and told her, "Yes. I still love you Lauren and I'm still going to show up for one of the biggest days of your life." She sighed. She hadn't meant to say that. Because saying that made things more complicated for them. Things were silent and tense between them. Bo got up from her chair and walked over to the window. The line was so quiet she had to ask, "Lauren are you still there?"

"Y-Yeah I am." Lauren said in a soft voice. She stopped briefly then asked, "You still love me?"

Bo laughed. She didn't mean to but the fact that Lauren had to ask that question was ridiculous. She caught her breath then wondered, "Why do you have to ask me that?"

Lauren's voice wavered a little when she said, "We're not together Bo." Bo heard her breath hitch and her heart broke when she heard the crack in Lauren's voice, "You broke up with me."

Bo rested her head against the wooden window pane and stated in a soft voice, "I didn't break up with you Lauren. I needed break. We needed a break."

"Why did we need a break Bo?" Lauren insisted.

Bo took a deep breath then closed her eyes for a moment before explaining, "I had to figure out how important you are to me. I needed to decide how important you are for me to give up what I want the most from you."

Bo knew Lauren didn't want to ask the question but she had managed to ask it, "And what did you decide?"

"I-" Bo began but she stopped short. Bo looked out at the vibrant green grass that covered the campus then she breathed, "I haven't."

"Oh."

The line went quiet again. Lauren didn't say anything and Bo sighed. She still hadn't decided on anything and the renewal of things between them had only given her a reason to avoid thinking about what she should do. And she was going to do it again because she was content, for the moment, for them to stay in their happy bubble. "I have a question for you."

"A question?" Lauren repeated with uncertainty in her voice.

Bo got a small smile on her face then confirmed, "Yes a question."

"What is it?"

Bo grinned as she asked, "What are you wearing?"

Lauren laughed and it was the most beautiful sound that Bo had heard in the last month. Lauren took a deep breath and said, "It's six in the morning Bo. I don't think my brain can handle phone sex at this hour."

Bo let out a small chuckle and murmured, "Oh really now? But it can handle my hands between your thighs touching you…."

"Bo this isn't fair." Lauren groaned. Then she continued, "Also I don't think we can have phone sex until we um…talk." The faltering way Lauren had spoken told Bo that she was really reluctant to change the direction of their conversation.

Bo sat up in her chair as she thought about what Lauren could possibly want to talk about. A million thoughts began to run through her head then one became so persistent that it had her blurting out, "Are you sleeping with someone else?"

"What?" Lauren exclaimed the surprise evident in her voice.

Bo took a deep breath as she tried to remain her composure because the thought of someone else touching Lauren made her blood boil and she was ready to kick someone's ass. "Are you…sleeping with someone else?" She repeated.

Lauren's response was quick and direct, "No Bo I am not." Bo let out a breath of relief and she was going to go say something but Lauren went off on her, "And why would you think that? Do you think I would have sex with some random person because we're on a break?" Lauren scoffed, "Also I don't even know what the parameters are of said break, so even if I was we are on a break."

Bo scoffed and shot back, "A break means space. It doesn't mean we have the opportunity to screw other people." Bo gestured and her voice rose as she told Lauren, "And I don't know what to think because I never know what's going through your head anymore."

Bo heard Lauren let out an exasperated breath before she argued, "You may not know what I'm thinking but you should know that I'm not some whore who's going to sleep around on you." She paused for a second then added, "Also how am I supposed to know that? You called me and said you needed a break. That was the end of it." Lauren let out an irritated sighed, "And if you don't want me to screw other people Bo then say so."

"I don't want you screwing other people." Bo shouted in a manner that stunned them both.

Neither of them said anything for a while then Lauren, the irritation evident in her voice, said, "So do you get a free pass while I'm being punished for something I don't completely understand?"

Bo took a deep breath. She couldn't fight with Lauren anymore. She never wanted to fight with her but here they were arguing. Bo sighed in resignation then began to clarify, "No. And I'm not punishing you. I still need to think about things." She sat back in her chair and glanced at the clock realising that she and Lauren needed to end this call because she had work to do. But they weren't done talking. "I'm sorry for thinking that. I had this thought and it sort of got a life of its own before I could stop it." Bo sighed then said, "Lauren I need you to understand that you are the only person I want to be with."

"I know Bo and I'm sorry too." Lauren said.

There was another pause in their conversation. Bo took a deep breath then asked, "Do you want to talk?"

That was a loaded question because Bo wasn't going to start the conversation at least not while she didn't have any answers for Lauren. But once she did have answers she didn't know how the conversation would go. Lauren sighed and told her, "I thought you were working on your presentation about sexual deviance?"

Bo released a heavy breath as she realised that today wasn't going to be the day for them to have that conversation. This was their first attempt so she shouldn't have hoped for too much. "Thank you for reminding of my pending work doctor." She sighed again, "I think I should get going. Call me later?"

"I should be able to. I don't have any work and unless Matt wants to take me hostage for something ridiculous then-"

Bo cut her off, "I'll call him to make sure you're free."

Lauren let out a soft laugh then said "Then I will call you later professor."

Bo chuckled and commented, "I look forward to it."

Lauren told her bye and Bo returned the sentiment before the call ended. She dropped her head back onto her chair. She needed to figure out everything and soon. Lauren's graduation was quickly approaching and she had bought her ticket home along with her and Lauren's tickets back to Italy. She had also organised a nice dinner for Lauren the night she graduated. Even when she wasn't supposed to be in it, she was still in it. "We'll talk before then." Bo murmured as she brought up the information for her presentation. "We will."

* * *

Lauren was doing laundry and thinking about her and Bo's conversation from earlier this morning. She had no more work to do which meant she had nothing else to preoccupy her mind. Bo had said that she loved her and that she wanted them to remain exclusive. Lauren was starting to think that this situation was less of a break and more of a relationship. But it wasn't a relationship because they were in limbo. Lauren tossed a ball of socks into the hamper then muttered, "But we can have phone sex." She groaned as her mind decided to plague her with thoughts of Bo touching her in places that she only wanted Bo to touch. "Goddamn her."

Lauren finished folding the laundry then headed upstairs to her and Bo's room to put it away. Now that things were better between them she had moved back upstairs to their room. Lauren put the hamper on the bed then went over to the closet to put away a few shirts. She was putting one of her button-ups on a hanger when she began to think about her and Bo's argument about her sleeping with other people. Lauren scoffed, "That's bull shit. I'm not a whore." She scowled as she hung up the shirt but it turned into frown when she remembered that Bo had told her that she didn't know what Lauren was thinking. Her heart sank as she thought about how out of sync they were. Bo used to know what Lauren was thinking or she at least always had a good understanding of how Lauren thought. And the fact that Bo would think that she would be sleeping with someone else was troubling. Lauren's vision became blurry and she shook her head. She had known that this was going to be a hard process and Matt had told her that it would be but even though she was determined to fight for Bo the pain of their rift was hard to endure.

Even through that pain Lauren was still grateful that they had come a long way in the last month. When Bo had responded to one of her nightly messages she had all but squealed in excitement. Then they had gotten into the habit of messaging each other which Lauren was glad about because they were making some sort of communication daily. Then when Bo called her one morning last week Lauren thought she was dreaming but once she answered the phone Bo admitted to missing her voice so the last few days they had been calling each other twice a day. Talking to Bo was the highlight of her day and she never missed a call.

Lauren finished putting away her clothes and smiled as she thought about the fact that Bo was still coming to her graduation. The smile grew as she remembered what Bo had said, _"I still love you Lauren and I'm still going to show up for one of the biggest days of your life."_  When Bo had said that Lauren's heart soared. Bo said that she loved her and she was going to say it back but then the conversation had taken a turn for the worst. Thanks to her. Lauren let out a sigh. Her relationship was in shambles because of her. She really was an idiot. And she was an idiot for arguing with Bo earlier but she was still hurt by the way Bo had gone about their so called break and how they hadn't of discussed anything. Lauren bit the inside of her lip as she wondered if she would have talked to Bo the night their rift was created. And by talked she meant talking about her insecurities and doubts about marrying Bo. Lauren was walking down the hall so she could go downstairs and she sighed when she realised that she wouldn't have. Had Bo allowed her to bury everything then she would have never addressed them because their relationship would still be intact. But that wouldn't have been fair to Bo and though the pain of their break did hurt her she believed that Bo had been right about their separation. They did need it.

The last few weeks she was able to see the bigger picture because she didn't have school taking up most of her time and Matt would ask her about it almost every day. So she was forced to think about their relationship, their future, and more importantly Bo. Did she still believe that Bo deserved better? Absolutely. But Bo wanted her and she wanted Bo. Since that would never change she had begun to accept the fact that she was it for Bo and was determined to become the person that Bo deserved to spend the rest of her life with. Lauren had also come to accept the marriage thing. It all fell into place after she was able to address her insecurities. During the period of time where Bo wasn't responding to her messages she was forced to deal with them. With Bo not talking to her it allowed her insecurities to fill her mind. And in spite of them she continued to message Bo every day, twice a day. But there were some days when the doubt was hard to ignore and she would think about what would happen if they weren't able to fix things. She didn't allow such thoughts to discourage her because she was determined to get Bo back. But it was when she was battling one of those dark thoughts that it all clicked into place for her.

_Lauren dropped her phone on the bed and sighed. Another message gone unanswered. She had begun to count them and at this rate she was certain to hit the triple digits for sure. Resigning to the fact that Bo wouldn't be messaging her back she got up and headed into the bathroom for her shower. Lauren stood in front of the mirror and played with her necklace. She was starting to think that she should give up. Bo was making it glaringly obvious that she did not want to talk to Lauren. She had been messaging Bo for almost three weeks now and each message she had sent had gone unanswered. As she took off her necklace Lauren sighed. Her relationship was over and it was her fault because she was a complete idiot. She had let her insecurities get the best of her and allowed them to ruin the only thing that completed her life along with being the one thing that brought joy to it. She enjoyed school and she loved her family and they made her happy but what she got from Bo….that was different and she would never find anything like it again. Tears had begun to fall and when she got into the running shower she silently cried for the love that she had lost. Lauren was able to regain enough composure so she could bathe and wash her hair. Lauren was deep in her dark thoughts when she had a feeling come over her and it hit her so suddenly that it took her breath away. And that feeling was the love she felt for Bo. The love she felt for her was something that most people would never experience and it would be a dishonour to that love if she didn't try to get Bo back. Finding the fight within her Lauren became determined to get the woman she loved back. She was going to continue to fight for Bo until she told Lauren to go away which she hadn't done yet. Lauren continued to bathe when she had another thought that invaded her mind and this one surprised her more than the unbidden inspiration that was her love for Bo. She wanted to marry Bo and have kids with her. She grinned at the thought. She knew that they would be happy together and that they would have an incredible family. Lauren frowned when she remembered that in order for them get anywhere close to that she needed to get Bo to talk to her so that she could explain and fix things between them. And if Bo decided to come to Lauren's graduation in a few weeks then she was going to propose to her. Lauren's doubts tried to break her newfound revelations but she didn't allow them to. She loved Bo so much and she wanted this life with her. During this time that they hadn't been speaking to each other it felt as though she were missing part of her soul and she never wanted to feel like that ever again._

_Wanting to share her revelations with someone Lauren jumped out of the shower and quickly put on her robe before running out of the bathroom and out of the room. She barged into Matt's room and exclaimed, "Matt I'm marrying Bo."_

_Her older brother tugged the blanket over his head and muttered, "Sure you are and I'm Santa freaking Claus. Go away Lo-Lo or I'll get mean."_

_Lauren scowled at his prone from in the dark and insisted, "I am. In fact I'm going to propose to her."_

_Matt let out a tired chuckle then groaned, "You're such a bullshitter. Get out."_

_"Matthew I am going to marry her and I'm going to propose to her. I need some fucking support here because I might start freaking out and I might fuck up my already fucked up relationship because my stupid brain might do something and-and-and-" Lauren's rant ended when she began to hyperventilate._

_"Fuck Lauren." Matt swore before he got out of bed. He walked over to her then guided her to sit on the edge of the bed and told her, "Deep breaths and stop spazzing out. There's still a chance you won't go through with it." Her head snapped up and he backtracked, "You won't back down. In fact you will go full steam ahead and Bo won't know what hit her." Lauren continued to gawk at him and Matt tried to reassure her further, "Okay so hitting her is not a good idea but you will knock her on her ass and she will not know what happened. You will blindside her with a proposal so amazing that for once Bo-licious won't have an answer for you."_

_Lauren scoffed and got up, "Goddammit Matt that is not the response I'm looking for."_

_She started to pace and Matt got up and held her by her shoulders, "No it's not but you need to be prepared for it because you told her that you don't want to marry her. Hell she doesn't even know that you're open to the idea. All Bo knows is that you two are on a break and that you don't want to marry her. You haven't explained anything to her." He let go of her shoulders and sighed, "You've got to give this time Lo. You two need to rebuild the trust and you got to make her see that you want to spend the rest of your life with her."_

_Lauren looked her brother in his eyes for a moment then let out a defeated sigh, "I know. I know." She ran a hand through her soaking wet hair, "I know. I just had this thought and it snowballed and I feel it Matthew. When I say I want to marry Bo I feel it and it feels fucking wonderful." She smiled, "And I know we have this massive chasm between us but I think we'll be able to fix it and come out for the better."_

_Matthew gave her a weary look then said, "I'm certain you two will Lo but you have another problem."_

_"What's that?"_

_"She's not talking to you." He told her and Lauren grimaced slightly. It was a problem but it wasn't one that she was going to avoid or give up on. She and Bo deserved better and more importantly Bo deserved better. And if she was to become the woman that Bo deserved then she was going to fight her hardest._

_She gave him a pointed look, "I'm getting her back Matthew and I'm not giving up without a fight."_

_Matt grinned at her and said, "Okay. So what's your plan?"_

Lauren didn't tell Matt her plan instead she had walked out of the room and went back into hers only to find that Bo had messaged her back. That goodnight message was enough to fuel her determination. They still had to talk and Lauren wanted to do it sooner rather than later but she wanted to do it face to face. Their talk today might have been a precursor for when they actually did talk about the issues between them but Lauren didn't let it deter her from what she wanted to do. Then once everything was laid out between them they could begin to fix everything. Lauren walked into the living room and as she walked around the couch she cuffed Matt in the back of the head and he shouted, "Asshole. What the fuck?"

"Come on we're going out." Lauren said as she picked the remote up off of the table and turned off the TV.

Matt tried to grab the remote from her and scoffed, "I'm not going anywhere if you're going to keep smacking me on the back of the head."

Lauren rolled her eyes and retorted, "Oh stop being a baby. I need you to come with me. I have something I want to do and you're going to help."

She let Matt snatch the remote from her then he as laid back on the couch and turned on the TV he remarked, "I'm not going anywhere with you. Have Piper or Alex go with you."

Lauren sighed and told him, "You're my big brother and I would like it if you were involved in this. Please Mattie?"

He eyed her with a suspicious look on his face, "What are we doing Lauren?"

Lauren smiled at him and said, "We're going to have a brother sister bonding day because time is getting short and soon I won't be as close as I am now."

Matt rolled his eyes and said dryly, "Look at you getting all sentimental."

Lauren dropped the act and stated, "I'll buy you lunch just come with me Matthew."

He let out an irritated breath then turned off the TV, "I'm choosing where we're going for lunch and I'm getting the most expensive thing on the menu."

Lauren grinned in excitement and nodded "Okay fine."

He got up and said, "What are we doing?"

Lauren only smiled at him and Matt continued to ask her what they were doing even as they walked out of the house. They took Matt's truck and Lauren told him where to go. Once they were parked outside of their destination Matt looked at her and remarked, "Oh hell no Lauren. Are you serious?"

Lauren grinned as she looked out the windshield, "I'm as serious as a heart attack." She looked at him and explained, "Which is pretty serious considering the damage a heart attack can cause to a person's heart." She opened the door, "Come on Mattie let's go."

Matt groaned and said, "I'm going to tell mom about this and she is going to flip."

Lauren laughed and said, "Mom will definitely flip."

They walked into the store and Lauren had a wide smile on her face that she couldn't get rid of. She really couldn't believe she was doing this.

* * *

_A Week Later…._

Bo was walking down the long corridor of the airport terminal to get to departure zone. She was nervous. This was the first time she had seen Lauren since the day she had walked out of their argument. They were still only calling each other along with instant messaging but neither had mentioned video chats. Bo felt like she was going to throw up. She knew this was going to ruin their happy bubble. After last week's phone conversation about the break neither she nor Lauren had brought up since. At some point Bo had made her decision and now it was eating away at her. Bo saw Lauren pacing at the terminal entrance and her heart stopped. Lauren was still stunning and just as adorable when she was nervous. Bo stopped walking so she could watch Lauren. The blonde was muttering to herself and Bo got a small smile on her face as her heart filled with love. Her sacrifice was going to be worth it. Lauren was worth it. And if Lauren didn't want to marry her then that would be fine. It wasn't like Lauren didn't want to be with her. She just didn't want the formality of marriage. Bo took a deep breath and decided, again, that she was okay with that. It would take her some time to lose the idea but for the most part she was okay with it. And when they had dinner later she would tell Lauren her decision because she wanted this break to be over so their relationship could be solid again. Lauren had finally stopped pacing to check the terminal entrance and when their eyes met Bo actually thought the world had stopped moving. The strain in their relationship along with the distance had made their longing more unbearable but their reunion was bittersweet due to the fact that neither knew what to do.

Lauren surprised Bo when she began to walk towards her. Lauren making the first move wasn't unprecedented but in this instance Bo thought she would be the one to do it. But as soon as Lauren was standing in front of her Bo had to remember how to breathe and think. Lauren gave her a small smile, "Hey."

"Hey." Bo repeated back in a soft voice.

Lauren stepped closer to her and there was the small amount of space between them. Bo watched as Lauren's eye glanced down at her lips then back to her eyes. "I'm going to kiss you now and if you don't want me to then you're going to have to tell me no."

Bo forgot how to breathe as Lauren leaned in to kiss her and when their lips pressed against each other Bo thought her heart would hammer out of her chest. Considering the way they had left things and all the uncertainty that was between them she wasn't expecting Lauren to act this way. Then again Lauren was surprising her a lot lately. It didn't take long for Bo to return the kiss which quickly turned into fervent one that expressed how much they needed each other and how much they missed each other. It also was a silent apology for the way things had gone between them but Bo knew that the words still needed to be said in order for them to move on from this completely. It was something that they would do but now was not the time for it. Bo broke the kiss first and she rested her forehead on Lauren's then began to whisper, "Lauren I'm sor-"

Lauren placed a quick kiss on her lips then pulled back, "Don't apologise Bo. You had no other choice but to do what you did and I'm thankful that you did it. Because of our break I was able to see the bigger picture and I love you for being strong enough to do that. So thank you."

Bo's eyes began to tear up as she chuckled, "I wasn't strong Lauren. I walked out on you when I couldn't handle what-"

Lauren pressed a finger to her lips and insisted, "You are strong Bo. You stood up to the person you loved instead of repressing your feelings. It takes a lot to do that and I love you for it. I never want to see you repressing your true feelings. Especially not for me."

"What does this mean for us Lauren?" Bo asked as she tried to hold back on the emotion that wanted to break her.

Lauren smiled and placed a hand on her cheek as she said, "It means, if you want, I would like to be your girlfriend again and I want us to talk about our future together."

Bo sniffled then smiled, "I would love nothing more than to talk about our future together. And you were never not my girlfriend Lauren."

Lauren gave her a kiss then whispered, "I know but it's nice to have a clear definition."

Bo let out a small laugh then captured Lauren's lips again for a gentle kiss. Things between them weren't completely resolved but this was a start. Lauren broke away then took Bo's bag before she took hold of her hand saying, "Let's go. I made us a nice dinner and I want us to talk tonight Bo. I want us to really talk. Okay?"

Bo swallowed her building anxiety then nodded her head as she said, "Okay." She knew their happy bubble would come to an end once they began talking so she was going to enjoy this moment with Lauren. Bo was going to tell Lauren that they didn't have to get married and that as long as they were together then that was all that mattered. She knew that Lauren would argue and say that she would marry her to keep Bo happy but that wasn't a marriage and Bo wasn't going to allow that. As they were walking out of the airport Lauren turned to look at her and she smiled at Bo before giving her a quick kiss. Bo could tell there was something different about Lauren but she couldn't figure out what it was. Lauren seemed happier than she had ever seen her before and she seemed to have this glint in her eye that never seemed to go away. But Bo figured it was because of everything that had happened between them the last month or so. Their relationship wasn't in limbo anymore and that was something to be happy about.

They got home and as Bo walked inside she said, "You know this will be the last time I walk inside of this house after a flight from Italy."

Lauren dropped her suitcase in the foyer and wondered, "Why do you say that?"

Bo looked at her and chuckled, "Because after graduation we'll be in Italy and by the time I have to come back the sale of the house will be final, plus we'll be in Boston."

"You still want me to come to Italy and you want to move to Boston still?" Lauren asked with amazement written all over her face.

Bo walked over to her and gave her a soft kiss then as she pulled back she smiled, "I never stopped wanting to do that Lauren. We needed some space. That's all that was. I had to think. But never for once did I think that you and I were done."

Lauren returned the smile and said, "I know. It's just with how everything happened I just didn't know where we stood."

Bo gave her a slight nod and told her, "Well I'm telling you now that we're standing perfectly fine and all of our plans will go as we originally planned. Unless you have an objection." Lauren shook her head no and Bo grinned, "Good. I'm going to go take a shower."

Lauren leaned in to give her a kiss, "Make it quick."

Bo smiled at her and said, "I'll try my hardest."

She grabbed her suitcase then headed up stairs to their room. It was good to be home but at the same time she was a bit anxious because she and Lauren were now this delicate balancing act that could go either way depending on how their conversation went later. Bo walked into the bathroom and sighed. She hoped that the conversation would go well because she was removing the pressure of marriage off of their relationship which had been the cause to begin with. Bo looked at her reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath. She could do this even though in her heart it wasn't what she wanted but she wanted Lauren more.

Lauren watched Bo go up the stairs and when she couldn't see her anymore she ran her hands through her hair as she let out a heavy breath. Her nerves were shot. There were a flurry of emotions running through her and she couldn't decide if wanted to throw up, freak out, or to follow Bo so they could have a proper reconciliation. Lauren took another deep breath then let it out before heading into the kitchen so she could prepare to serve dinner. She still couldn't believe she was about to do this but there was no other choice that felt right. And each day she thought about it the more firm her decision had become. She was going to tell Bo that she wanted to marry her and that was that. Bo would probably argue with her and say that she was only doing this to appease her but that was far from the truth. Lauren loved Bo and she wanted to share a lifetime of happiness with her. And having a ceremony that celebrated that happiness was something that they should have because their love deserved to be celebrated. Their love was something that she never thought she would have and now that she had almost lost it Lauren was going to appreciate it forever. She went about setting up the dining table for dinner and when she was opening up the wine Bo walked into the kitchen. Lauren stopped fighting with the cork as their eyes met. Bo always made her lose her train of thought and the only thing she could focus on was her. Bo gave her a shy smile and Lauren stared at her in amazement. How this breathtaking, confidant woman could love her and want to marry her was beyond her but she wasn't going to continue to question it. Lauren cleared her throat in an attempt to find her voice but Bo chuckled, "What's up with you Lauren? You're acting different."

Lauren immediately found the bottle of wine interesting as she deflected Bo's question, "Nothing's wrong with me except I can't get this damn bottle of wine open."

Bo laughed and walked over to her. She took the bottle of wine and the corkscrew from her and said, "That's because it requires a certain finesse that you seem to be-Lauren this is an expensive bottle of wine."

Lauren grinned at her and replied, "I know Bo."

Bo shook her head and said, "No Lauren. I mean this is a  _really_  expensive bottle of wine and hard to find. Where the hell did you get this?"

Lauren chuckled at Bo's reaction to the wine. She had called her dad to see if he could try to find the wine for her because he had connections and lucky for her his connections came through. This was Bo's white whale of wines. It was from a small vineyard located on the coast of Sicily that only released a small batch once every five years. Lauren owed her father a great amount for this bottle of wine because it was from a batch that was released almost thirty years ago. She reached for the bottle and Bo pulled it back. Lauren gave her this confused look, "What?"

"We cannot drink this." Bo stated in a tone that told Lauren that it was a ridiculous idea to open the bottle.

Lauren shook her head and smiled, "What are we going to drink with the steaks I cooked Bo?"

Bo scoffed and retorted, "Not this. We will take something out of the cooler but this bottle will never be opened."

Lauren chuckled at how adorable Bo was being then sighed, "Okay I will take something out of the cooler but what will you be doing with this?"

Bo smiled at the bottle of wine then looked at her and said, "It doesn't matter as long as we don't drink it. This is amazing." Bo got a confused look on her face, "Why did you buy expensive wine? And did you say steaks? What did I do to deserve such a meal?"

Lauren walked over to the wine cooler and when she opened the door she looked at the few bottles of red that they had. None of them went with the rib-eye that she had prepared and she muttered, "I try to make her the perfect dinner and now we can't have the wine I picked out for it." She picked a red at random then looked at Bo, "Because I love you. That's why you deserve such a meal."

She handed Bo the wine and Bo gave her a sceptical look, "Lauren that bottle of wine alone probably costs more than this house does. So saying-"

"Speaking of the house," Lauren said interrupting Bo because the conversation was headed in a direction that she wasn't quite prepared for. "Who will be handling the sale of it while we're in Italy."

Bo poured them some wine as she pointed out, "I see what you did there and I'm going to come back to it. And my mother will be. She's on the deed."

Lauren went over to the stove and pulled out the steaks that she had warming in the oven. She placed the pan on the stove top and said, "I've never asked you this but how did you get this house?"

Bo chuckled and told her, "I have a trust fund that I inherited from my grandma when she passed and I used that to buy the house."

Lauren gave Bo a sad look, "Oh Bo I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Don't be sorry." Bo smiled at her and continued, "I didn't know her. She died when I was a baby so it didn't affect me as much."

Lauren smiled back at Bo and told her, "It may not have affected you much Bo but she was still your grandmother and I'm certain she left you a sizable amount considering your lifestyle. She loved you Bo and she wanted to make sure that you were taken care of."

Bo walked over and kissed her then said, "She did and my mom and dad continued to add to it." She got a questioning look on her face, "Also my lifestyle?"

Lauren went into the cupboard and took out two plates as she explained, "You drive a Mercedes Bo. And you travel extensively and let's not forget about your expensive wine taste. You like the finer things in life Bo. I'm not judging you I'm just making an observation."

Bo laughed and said, "It's an astute one and you're right but other than the house dear, I haven't touched that money since."

Lauren began to fix their plates and she held her breath for second before asking, "What are your plans for it?"

Bo sighed then walked over to the stove and Lauren turned around to see her dip her finger in the sauce pan that had the gorgonzola cream sauce in it. She bit her bottom lip as she watched Bo suck the sauce off her finger and Lauren could feel her face heat up. Bo grinned at her then answered, "I have no idea. I'm waiting for something good to come along. Or I guess I could blow it all away."

Lauren looked away from Bo who now had a seductive look on her face. She focused on fixing their plates for a moment then she glanced back at Bo and commented, "Get that look off of your face." She took a deep breath then said in a casual tone, "And if you want we can use that money towards starting a family." She stopped then abruptly added, "That's only if you want to."

The air in the kitchen became tense and Lauren held her breath as she waited for Bo's response. It was several minutes later when Bo said, "You want a family with me?"

Lauren turned around and she avoided looking at Bo as she went to go get the sauce pan off of the stove then as she drizzled the cream sauce over the steaks she told her, "I would like to start a family with you. I mean I don't want to do it anytime soon but I think once we're married for a little while we can start thinking about it and-"

"You want to marry me?" Bo asked her the astonishment apparent in her voice, "Or are you saying that because you know this is what I want to hear?"

Lauren placed the sauce pan back on the stove then looked Bo directly in the eyes, "I'm not doing this because I think that this is what you want to hear. I'm doing it because I want to." She got the pan that the vegetables were in and put some on their plates. "We were on a break and I even went so far as to think that we were broken up. I lost you Bo. In my mind you were gone. And then Matt talked some sense into me." She looked at Bo and grinned, "He is an asshole sometimes but you know what? Every now and then he is smarter than me. He made me realise what an idiot I was and forced to me to think about us and our future." Lauren put down the pan and sighed, "And every day that I messaged you and each time you didn't respond back I did start to think I had screwed up royally but one day it all just clicked for me." She walked over to Bo and took her hands in her hers as she adamantly stated, "You are my heart and soul. The very reason why my life is brighter than it has ever been. And I never want to lose that. So yes I want to marry you. I want the ceremony that celebrates our love and tells our family and friends that I have chosen you to spend the rest of my life with and that I love you with everything that I am."

The emotion was heavy between them as they stared at each other. Lauren had wanted her declaration to be a little more graceful than that but once she had started talking she wasn't able to stop. Now she was looking at a stunned Bo who had a blank expression on her face and she wasn't certain what that meant. Then Bo started to laugh. Lauren tilted her head a little at the reaction but then she saw the tears in Bo's eyes. Lauren was so confused by Bo's reaction that she didn't know what to do. Fortunately she didn't have to do anything. Bo took her face in her hands and their mouths crushed together for a passionate kiss. The kiss, like the emotion behind it, was a whirlwind and Lauren held on tightly to Bo's waist as it deepened. Bo gave her one final kiss then pulled back and Lauren saw the unshed tears glistening in her eyes when she asked, "You want to marry me?"

Lauren smiled and told her, "Yes I want to marry you Bo."

"And you want kids?"

Lauren closed the small gap that was between them so she could kiss Bo. Then when she moved away she said, "Yes I want to have kids with you."

Bo chuckled then kissed Lauren again before she wrapped her arms around her waist. She looked into Lauren's eyes and smiled, "Thank you."

Lauren chuckled and shook her head a little, "Don't thank me Bo. I should be thanking you. Had you not done what you did I would have been happy with the way things were and that wouldn't have been fair to you or us. But now I realise that we need this step. It feels right in my heart."

"Mine too." Bo smiled before saying, "Good thing I let you talk first because I was about to tell you that we didn't have to get married."

"And I would have argued you on it." Lauren chuckled.

Bo nodded and said, "I know you would have and I would have argued back because you're more important to me than some ceremony Lauren. I have you and you love me. That's all I need."

Lauren sighed and told her, "That may be all you need Bo but that isn't what you want. No matter how hard you try to tell yourself otherwise. You'd most likely end up resenting me or something."

Bo scoffed and countered, "I would never resent you Lauren. You and I are pretty much stuck together no matter how much we piss each other off. I love you too much and clearly you love me too."

Lauren rested her head on Bo's shoulder then whispered, "I do Bo. I have realised that I need you more than I thought I Idid. I love you so much."

"I love you too." Bo murmured into her hair. Then she let out a soft chuckle, "So did you just propose to me?"

Lauren laughed and then moved away from Bo, "I did not. I'm just letting you know that I am more open to the idea of marriage than I was a couple months ago."

She grabbed their dinner plates while Bo grabbed their wine glasses. "And kids you want kids too."

As they sat down at the dining table Lauren looked at Bo and got a smile on her face. The happy look on Bo's face told her that this definitely was the right choice and she knew that she would make the same one a thousand times over. "I do want kids. We'll talk about it all Bo but let's eat before you start picking out wedding dates."

Bo chuckled and remarked, "I'm not that excited. I have no idea about any of the details. All I know is that I want to marry you and that's it."

Lauren reached across the table and took Bo's hand, "We'll work all that out." She grinned and added, "And I'm excited to marry you too Bo." If were possible Bo's smile grew wider and Lauren's heart skipped a beat because she was the reason for Bo's happiness and she wanted to continue to bring her such happiness. Lauren began to eat and every now and then she would look at Bo who had this permanent grin on her face. Lauren couldn't help but to return it because she was equally as excited about their future together.


	7. You Got Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters they belong to the wonderful people of Lost Girl, Showcase, Prodigy, et al.

_A month and a half Later…._

Lauren was sitting in the back of the lecture hall smiling to herself as she watched as the rest of the class paid rapt attention to the captivating woman giving the lecture. It seemed almost a life time ago when she had been in the same position. Sitting in the back of her human sexuality class only to have her breath taken away by the woman teaching the course. The only difference now was that the woman teaching the course was now her girlfriend and she wasn't enrolled in the class being taught. Lauren brought her focus back to Bo who was wearing a pair of form fitting pants along with a sleeveless plum coloured blouse that had the top button undone exposing some of her chest and the barest hint of cleavage. Lauren's mind wandered to the round of love making that she and Bo had engaged in right before that blouse was put on and she chuckled to herself. Ever since she first saw Bo the thoughts of her and the professor in compromising positions was never to far from her mind. Lauren started to daydream about her and Bo's beginnings. She had been so reluctant to give into her feelings for Bo at first, due her hang-ups about Bo being her professor and other ethical reasons, but eventually she couldn't fight it anymore and now she was in love with the most incredible woman that she had ever met and they were planning a future together. Lauren let out a content sigh. She and Bo had a future. They had never not had one but now that they had discussed it and she wasn't overwhelmed by her insecurities it was something that she couldn't wait for. Lauren was brought out of her daydream when she heard laughter in the class and when she looked around she found that more than half the class was looking at her. Feeling her cheeks warm up in embarrassment Lauren scanned the room wondering what the class was laughing about. When her eyes landed on Bo she saw the smirk on her on face and Lauren figured out that laughter was because of something Bo had said that was at her expense. Lauren cocked her eyebrow up and dared her girlfriend to do it again. Bo smirked then said something in Italian before announcing, "That is today's lecture. Keep in mind the topics we've discussed because they will be brought up again next week when I give my weekly seminar. Have a good day."

The students began to file out of the room and Lauren remained seated until the last person had left. Other than herself the only people that remained were Bo and the translator. Lauren walked down the stairs and as she approached the platform she asked, "What did you say to them?"

Bo turned and grinned at her before saying, "Oh nothing. I just let them know that despite the dreamy look on your face you do care about my lectures." She gave a quick wave to the translator as she walked out of the room then when they were alone Bo walked over to Lauren and placed her hands on her hips, "I think they might be getting tired of me talking about you."

Lauren placed a brief kiss on Bo's lips and smirked, "Well I'm getting tired of listening to you go on about us too. What's for dinner?"

Bo chuckled then gave her one more kiss before she walked over to the desk to pack up her briefcase, "I was thinking we go to that restaurant that serves the really awesome gelato then we can go out to that one field and look at the stars."

Lauren chuckled because she knew that they would do more than look at the stars but she said, "Okay."

Her two months in Italy had been amazing. Bo had taken her to every local museum and restaurant that she thought Lauren would appreciate and when they had seen everything in the small town the university was located and Florence they took a three-day trip to Rome and explored that city as well. Lauren had fallen in love with the country and had hoped that Bo would say that she wanted to stay because Lauren had no problem with blowing off medical school to live in Italy. But unfortunately she hadn't and Lauren was going to be leaving for Boston the week after next. It was going to be hard for her to leave the little idyllic life she and Bo had in Italy and facing the reality of medical school and the intense studying that came with it was exciting, but she dreaded it at the same time. She was going to miss Bo even more so now that they had a more solid foundation to their relationship.

Bo took her hand and asked, "All set?"

Lauren rested her head on Bo's shoulder and smirked, "I most definitely am Professor."

Bo turned and pressed a kiss to her forehead before murmuring, "Watch yourself doctor or I'll take you to my office and do something that will make us miss dinner."

Lauren chuckled and remarked, "Are you saying that wasn't on the schedule? That is most upsetting."

Bo let go of her hand then wrapped her arm around her shoulders as she said, "Oh that is always on the schedule. You tell me when and I will be ready to go."

Lauren laughed then kissed Bo's neck before whispering, "You're always ready to go." Bo laughed and they headed off for dinner.

* * *

Dinner had been fine but as they were leaving the restaurant it had begun to storm so it ruined the plan of them going out to the field and watching the stars along with making love because the setting had a natural romance to it that they seemed to give into. Bo and Lauren raced up the stairs to get to the apartment and Lauren burst through the door first as she exclaimed, "I am drenched. That's one hell of a storm we got caught in."

Bo chuckled as she closed and locked the door, "Oh don't worry about it. You're just going to end up naked in a minute anyway."

Lauren turned to look at her and laughed, "Oh am I?"

Bo grinned and said, "What? Do you have other plans for our now ruined evening?"

Thinking about it Lauren did come up with an alternative idea for their now ruined evening. She walked over to Bo and gave a kiss then smiled, "I'm going to take a shower. You stay out here." The smile had turned into a grin when she added, "And I highly suggest that you take a shower in the guest bathroom. I'll bring you your robe."

Bo got a curious look on her face, "Oh really? And what do you have planned?"

Lauren just got a seductive smile on her face then began to walk away from Bo as she headed to the room. After she tossed Bo's robe onto the back of the chair in the living room she went back into the room and closed and locked the door. Before she got into the shower Lauren went into the closet that she shared with Bo then pulled out her suitcase. When she had it out she opened the secret compartment and pulled out two items then once she had everything laid out she ran into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Lauren was drying off as she thought,  _"The crazy things we do for the people we love."_  She headed into the room and put on the article of clothing she had pulled out of her suitcase then donned her robe before she lit the few candles in the room. When everything was as perfect as she could get it she opened the room door and asked, "Bo did you shower?"

Bo was sitting on the couch in her black robe, which showed a considerable amount of thigh, sipping a glass of white wine. She smiled at Lauren and answered, "Of course I did. Now are you going to tell me what this is about?"

Lauren walked over to Bo and took the wine glass from her then drained it. She set it down on the coffee table and told her, "Nope. Now come on." She held her hand out for Bo and Bo looked at it for a second before taking it. Lauren led them into the room and then instructed, "Take off your robe and sit on the bed."

Bo eyed her cautiously as she did what she was told, "This better lead to something very interesting or you won't like the payback."

Lauren couldn't stop the mischievous look that crossed her face, "It depends on what your payback is because that might be more interesting than what I have planned."

Bo got onto the bed and situated herself in the middle of it, "Nope. If we're going to play this game then we're going to play it by your rules."

Lauren let the sash of her robe slide through her fingers as she smiled, "Okay if you wanna play by my rules that's fine." She took in the sight of Bo's naked body and Lauren could feel her excitement grow. It had been steadily building since she got out of the shower but now it was getting unbearable. She got on the bed then straddled Bo's thighs. She placed a soft kiss on her lips then pulled back so that there was enough room for her to murmur, "Take off my robe."

Lauren sat up so Bo's deft fingers could undo the sash on the robe and as she opened it Lauren smiled at the look on Bo's face. It was a look of complete surprise at what she had on underneath the robe. Lauren took it off then tossed the robe to the floor while Bo reached up and traced the edge of the fabric that was covering her left breast and whispered, "You're wearing it. Oh my-You're so…"

Bo trailed off and Lauren leaned forward and whispered, "Is it everything you dreamed of?"

Bo let out a soft scoff then turned her head a little so she could place a soft kiss on Lauren's neck before saying in a low voice, "Not at all. Reality with you never lives up to the fantasy." Bo leaned back so she could look at Lauren again. She shook her head in awe, "My god you are sexy in this. I should buy you more lingerie."

Lauren was mid-eye roll when Bo's hands glided down the smooth skin of her ass before she gave it a firm grab and pulled Lauren closer to her. Bo sought out her lips and when they met in a fiery kiss Lauren knew right away that Bo was going to take her fast and hard. She had finally indulged her and Bo wasn't going to hold herself back. As the kiss intensified Bo's hand slid under the lace top that Lauren was wearing so she could give her hard nipple a firm tug before kneading the soft flesh surrounding it. Lauren groaned in Bo's mouth as the pleasurable sensation shot through her and down to the hypersensitive nerves between her thighs. Bo broke the kiss and looking into her eyes Lauren saw the hungry look in them which caused her to bite her bottom lip in anticipation. Bo was quick to remove the lace top and as soon as the barrier was gone she began to give Lauren's breast the attention they were aching for. Lauren held on to the back of Bo's head and cried out as teeth grazed the hard, sensitive tissue of her nipple which only turned her arousal into a torturous delight. A gentle bite to her left nipple caused her to tug on Bo's hair and yell out her name and while she was still recovering from that she felt Bo's fingers stroking her through the barely there fabric of the thong. Bo moved away from her breasts when Lauren's hips began to respond to her touches and she smiled, "I see someone is very eager. Do you want it Lauren?" Lauren nodded her head yes and Bo shook her head no saying, "I need to hear you say it Lauren. What do you want from me?" She felt Bo move the fabric of the thong to the side before she dipped a finger inside of Lauren's dripping wet folds before she quickly removed it making her groan out in disappointment. "Say it Lauren or you won't get it."

Bo leaned in then circled her tongue around Lauren's hard right nipple and Lauren buried her hand in Bo's hair while moaning, "Fuck me Bo. Please fuck me."

A finger slid into her as Bo smiled up at her and Lauren felt delirious with pleasure. The single digit wasn't providing her with enough friction and she gasped, "More." Bo arched an eyebrow at her and she nodded, "More Bo. Please." Bo added another finger and that was enough to provide enough friction to the muscles inside of her and Lauren let her head fall back as she hollered out Bo's name again.

Lauren clung to Bo as her fingers pumped in and out of her. She had become consumed by her arousal and all she cared about was the steadily building and intense orgasm that was going to sweep over her along with the wonderful fingers that were bringing her to it. Hoping that they would never stop. Bo's thumb was stroking her clit and she tightened her hold on Bo as she felt the few tendrils of control begin to give way to the earth shattering orgasm. Lauren's body gave a slight shudder before it went rigid and her muscles clamped around Bo's fingers. Pleasure overloaded every one of her senses and all she could do was ride out the powerful orgasm.

When she had finally relaxed a little Bo was able to remove her fingers from her causing a slight shudder to shoot through her. Bo moved so she could lay down on the bed and Lauren rested on top of her once she was situated. Bo was idly drawing patterns on her back with her fingertips and when Lauren could form any coherent thought she chuckled a little and Bo asked, "That good huh?"

Lauren sat up then gave Bo a deep kiss before she moved to get something out of the nightstand drawer that was on her side of the bed. She lay down on her side of the bed then placed the small velvet box on Bo's chest. Bo looked at her then back at the box, "What is this?"

Lauren was still recovering from her post-sex high but she did smile at Bo, "Open it."

Bo picked up the box then turned it over in her hand before she opened it. As she slowly opened the box her eyes grew bigger and she looked at Lauren, who could tell that Bo wanted to say something, but she was speechless. Lauren scooted closer to Bo then took the box from Bo so she could pull out the diamond ring. She took hold of Bo's left hand and slowly slid the ring on it then looked Bo in the eyes and smiled, "Will you marry me?"Tears glistened in Bo's eyes and some fell when she nodded her head yes. Lauren wiped them away and asked, "Was that a yes?"

"Yes." Bo replied in a quiet voice."

Lauren grinned and kissed Bo and as she was pulling back Bo brought her hand to back of her neck so they could continue to kiss. It was a slow, gentle kiss and it melted Lauren's heart. When she was able to pull back she saw that Bo had a huge smile on her face and eventually she exclaimed, "I can't believe you did that while were having sex."

"We're not having sex. This is a pause between orgasms. Unless there won't be any more orgasms." Lauren said with a small pout on her face.

Bo rolled her eyes then sat up a little so she could give Lauren a kiss. She dropped her head back down on the pillow, "There will be more orgasms but how am I supposed tell this story to anyone?"

Lauren got a cheeky grin on her face, "Tell them that you had just fucked me senseless and next thing you know I was proposing to you."

"Lauren." Bo scolded with a grin on her face then she said, "Is that the story you want me to tell you parents?"

Lauren laughed and commented, "Yes and be sure to add the enthusiastic manner in which you brought me to my orgasm."

Bo rolled her eyes and remarked, "This is not how I planned this. It was going to be romantic and with candles. I was going to do it when you graduated but I thought it was too soon."

Lauren pointed at one of the candles on the dresser, "There is a candle and post-orgasm is very romantic. When we're lying in bed, naked and wrapped up in each other, I have never felt so much at once for one person like I do for you Bo. I love you so much."

Bo gave her a teary smile, "I love you too." Lauren pressed an innocent kiss to her lips and when she pulled back Bo wondered, "When did you get the ring?"

"Three months ago."

"Three months ago?" Bo questioned before asking, "When?"

Lauren cuddled up to Bo and began to explain, "We had just started talking on the phone during our break and we hadn't talked about us yet, but by then I knew what I had to do and what my heart was set on. And I wanted to be prepared. I took Matt and we designed your engagement ring. Well I did. Matt could only tell me that I was insane and it was a jinx to our relationship. And I've been holding onto it until I felt the moment was right. And tonight felt right because even when the rain is coming down in sheets and we look like two soaking wet sheep dogs I couldn't imagine doing that with anyone else."

Bo chuckled and asked, "And what if it hadn't rained tonight then what?"

Lauren smirked and said, "Under that tree in the field because you are breathtakingly beautiful in the moonlight."

Bo sat up to kiss her and this time Lauren cupped the back of her neck so the kiss would be longer. Bo rolled them to where she was on top of Lauren then kissed her neck and murmured, "I love you so much."

Lauren's breath hitched when she felt Bo's fingertips caress the inside of her thigh before brushing her outer lips. She whispered, "I love you too Bo."

Bo entered her and Lauren's eyes fluttered close but her own hand was sliding between Bo's thighs so she could make love to Bo as Bo made love to her. Bo waited and when Lauren's fingers slid into her she let out a soft gasp against her ear. As they moved in and out of each other their eyes were locked on each other conveying the intense emotions that words would never be able to express. Soft kisses were exchanged as they brought one another closer to the orgasm that would render them both speechless. And when they did reach that peak Lauren was the first to go with Bo following her moments later. The unspoken words between them were heavy but not uncomfortable. It was far from uncomfortable. It was the feeling that came from knowing that the person you had just shared the most intimate moment with was always going to be there to hold when the emotions became too much. They eventually moved to where Bo was holding Lauren and Lauren broke the silence by confessing, "I hope I am the wife you deserve Bo."

Bo kissed her forehead then whispered, "You already are Lauren. Just by being you and loving me. You will make a wonderful wife. Trust me."

Lauren held onto Bo and sleep was beginning to take over but she had something else to say, "Matt wants to name our first child after him."

Bo began to laugh then she asked, "What if it's a girl?"

"Still wants her to be named Matthew." Lauren said getting comfortable.

Bo pulled the blanket over them and remarked, "You do know your brother is delusional right?"

Lauren kissed the centre of Bo's chest and chuckled, "Yes Bo I know. Now can we get some sleep so I can wake up in an hour and take advantage of you."

Bo kissed her temple said, "Yes we can." She paused then whispered, "I'm glad you admit to taking advantage of me."

Lauren chuckled and closed her eyes. She knew that she didn't take advantage of Bo but she was glad that she let Bo take advantage of her because she wouldn't be here, in Italy, and in bed with the love of her life. She was glad that she had stopped fighting Bo and she was glad that she had finally stopped listening to her insecurities. Because now they were going to get married then eventually have a family and she could not wait for them to start that chapter of their life together.


	8. Who Should We Tell First?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters they belong to the wonderful people of Lost Girl, Showcase, Prodigy, et al. and borrowed Orange Is The New Black characters also belong to their respective studios and creators.

_A Few Days Later..._

Bo and Lauren were curled up on the couch and Bo kissed Lauren's forehead then asked, "Who are we telling first?"

Lauren got Bo's laptop off the coffee table then placed it on her lap, "Matt is going to be last because he likes to talk."

Bo chuckled as she opened up Skype, "He is a talker that one. We'll tell my mom first because she'll be brief considering it is..." Bo trailed off as she looked at the clock. It was eight in the evening in Italy so it was around two in the afternoon back home. "It's two there so she'll be trying to unwind from a long day in court."

Lauren chuckled and wondered, "I thought she only took the more interesting cases."

"Oh I forgot to tell you that she has been hired to be the defence attorney for a member of the mob. There's tax evasion, fraud, money laundering….the whole shebang." Bo got a worried look on her face, "I'm concerned about her safety and I told her to hire security. She laughed at me."

Lauren let out a soft laugh then kissed the side of her neck before saying, "Of course she did Bo. You don't get that stubborn trait from nowhere. She's as strong-willed as you are and she's as smart as you are so I think if she feels that she can't handle a situation she will get the proper protection."

Bo let out a reluctant sigh then double-clicked on her mother's name then sent her a message asking if it was a good time to call. Bo rested the side of her head on top of Lauren's and acquiesced, "I know she is." Then she paused to bite her lip for a second before reluctantly divulging, "And I might have already hired security for her."

Lauren sat up and looked at Bo. The guilty look on her face made Lauren give up the idea of scolding her and all she said was, "You do know she's going to kill you when she finds out."

Bo looked at Lauren and saw the glint in her eyes so she felt less guilty about having kept that from her. She smiled and countered, "She is but I'm going to argue her on it because she has placed herself in a compromising position."

Lauren leaned in and kissed Bo to distract her from the rant that she knew was coming then when she pulled back she said, "Okay Bo I understand."

Bo looked into Lauren's patient eyes then sighed. She was overprotective of her mom because when she had lost her dad it had been a tough thing for her to deal with and she had told herself that she would do everything possible to make sure her mom lived a long life. So Bo was a little overbearing at times. Lauren took hold of her hand then gave it squeeze. Bo smiled at her then looked back at the screen seeing that her mom had replied telling her that it was okay for her to call. Bo grinned at Lauren, "Ready for this?"

Lauren nodded then rested her head on Bo's shoulder. Even though she knew that Bo's mom would be nothing short of excited for them she still had butterflies in her stomach. The call was answered then Aife's face popped up on the screen and she greeted them with a smile, "Hello girls how are you two doing today?"

Bo squeezed Lauren's hand in excitement and grinned, "We are doing quite well. Lauren and I were thinking about staying here on a permanent basis."

Aife laughed and remarked, "I wouldn't be surprised. If I remember correctly the Tuscan region of that country is beyond magnificent." Aife shuffled some paperwork around then asked, "What did I do to deserve a call at this hour?"

Bo tried to tone down the smile on her face as she told her mother, "Well mom we've got some news."

Aife began to laugh and both Lauren and Bo got a confused look on their faces. They had no idea why the older woman would be laughing. When she caught her breath Aife said, "Lauren I owe your brother fifty dollars now."

"What?" Lauren chuckled. She looked at Bo with a questioning look on her face and Bo just shrugged her shoulders.

Aife shook her head and chuckled, "Nothing dear. Now what's this news that has you calling me?"

Bo looked over at Lauren then back at her mom and announced, "We're engaged." She noticed that her mother didn't look shocked nor was she surprised and that wasn't the reaction she was looking for. "Why don't you look surprised to hear this?"

Aife smiled and told her, "Bo, dear, it's one of those things that I knew was going to happen. It wasn't a matter of if it would happen but when it would happen. But I am very happy for you two and I can't wait until we start planning the wedding." She smirked and added, "This is why I owe your brother fifty dollars. He said that one of you would propose while Lauren was in Italy but I, like the logical woman that I am, assumed you wouldn't because of how you two only just figured out your relationship. But one thing I would like to know, which would make this complete thing a wash, is who proposed?"

Lauren went to go answer her but Bo covered her mouth with her hand and scoffed, "No mom. I'm not telling you that. And why are you making bets with Matt?"

Her mother shrugged and remarked, "It seemed like a fun idea. And you have to tell me dear because I would hate to lose another fifty to him. He seemed rather smug about the fact that Lauren would propose."

Bo and Lauren chuckled then Lauren commented, "We're not going to tell you and I will take care of Matthew."

Aife laughed and said, "I thank you for that Lauren. Okay I have to go. I have a meeting with the partners. Again congratulations. I'll call you tomorrow for details on how the proposal went. Love you both."

They told Bo's mom goodbye then ended the call. Bo scoffed and looked at Lauren, "Your bother is a bad influence and a cheater."

"I know he is. I can't believe he did that to your mom. He's such an asshole sometimes." Lauren laughed as she looked at Bo's contact list and when saw that Piper was online she double clicked her on name then called her.

Bo laughed and asked, "Your parents?"

Lauren rolled her eyes, "They're most likely at home and mom is probably doing something that annoys the hell out of my dad and they can wait for-Piper!"

Piper's face filled up the screen and there was a huge smile on it as she hollered, "Bo-Lo! What's changed since yesterday?"

Lauren scowled at the screen and said, "Don't call us that." She looked at Bo, "I'm going to kill Matt. It's inevitable."

Bo rubbed her arm then laughed, "I'm surprised he's lasted this long." She kissed her cheek then told her, "But if you do follow through on it that then you will go to jail because mom can't defend you due to a conflict of interest and then you'll get a hack attorney. Though if you decide to kill your bother you will have to wait until after we're married." Then Bo exclaimed, "Oh conjugal visits."

Lauren gawked at Bo for a second then shook her head before saying, "I would never." She sighed then looked at Piper, "Sorry Pipes. Did you and Alex find an apartment yet or are you two still arguing about how close to the city you want to live?"

Piper let out an exasperated sigh, "We're not arguing. It's just a mild misunderstanding. And no we haven't. Her family is nice and all but I think we need our own space. Her mother keeps giving me these looks that say that she wants to kill me because I'm not good enough for her daughter."

Lauren laughed and told her, "It'll get sorted out hopefully. So good news."

Piper gasped and asked, "Are you and Bo getting married?"

Lauren let out an annoyed breath, "Why is everyone ruining this for us?"

Piper shook her and said, "Nope. I'm not ruining anything." She got passive look on her face, "So Lo what's this good news?"

Lauren crossed her arms over her chest and remarked, "No. I'm not going to tell you."

Bo had been laughing throughout the whole exchange and she chuckled, "I'll tell you then Piper. We are getting married and Lauren proposed to me."

Piper grinned and said, "That's awesome. I'm so happy for you two."

Bo got a deadpanned look on her face, "You already knew didn't you?"

Piper held up her hands defensively, "I knew she had the ring but I didn't know that she was going to propose to you while she was in Italy. Hold on." Piper hollered, "Alex, Lauren proposed to Bo in Italy."

Lauren faintly heard Alex's response, "I'm not surprised but tell them I said congrats."

Piper looked back at the screen and smiled, "She says congrats. Did you tell your mom yet?"

Lauren shook her no and told her, "Not yet but we did tell Bo's mom and she wasn't too surprised either."

"Well it's kind of obvious Lauren. You two are pretty much a sure thing so it was only a matter of time." Piper stated in a matter of fact tone.

Lauren got up from the couch and said, "I'm so done with telling people. Nobody is surprised by the fact that we are getting married or that I proposed to you."

Bo tried not to smile at Lauren's out break as she said, "Well honey you need to face the fact that you and I have a very transparent relationship. Anybody can tell that we're madly in love with each other."

Lauren was scowling at Bo and she wanted to keep scowling at her but she couldn't. Bo was being irritatingly sweet and she let out a breath before sitting back down on the couch, "Fine but I make no promises that I won't flip out on my parents if they have the same reaction."

Piper and Bo laughed then Bo said, "Piper we have to call Lauren's parents-"

"No wait. How did you do it Lauren?" Piper wondered interrupting Bo.

Lauren looked at Bo and Bo looked at Lauren. They smiled at each other then Lauren said, "We were relaxing in bed and I just proposed to her."

Piper got a grin on her face, "Were you two naked?"

"And on that note we will be talking to you later Piper." Bo said before disconnecting the call.

Lauren sighed then got up from the couch, "I'm getting a glass of water. Do you want anything?"

Bo smiled at her then kissed her before saying, "No I'm all set. Do you want me to call your parents?"

Lauren nodded her head yes then as she walked into the kitchen she told her, "But don't tell them anything."

Bo contacted Lauren's parents and as she waited for the call to be picked up she said, "I won't."

Bo rested her head back on the couch and when Lauren's mom answered she said, "Hi Karen. How are you doing?"

Lauren's mom smiled her at her, "I'm doing fine Bo. What do I owe the pleasure?"

Lauren walked back into the living room with her glass of water and a glass of wine for Bo. She offered the glass of wine to Bo then sat down next to her. When she saw her mom on the laptop screen Lauren waved at her, "Hi mom."

"Hi Lauren. Is everything okay? It's odd for you two to call in the middle of the day like this."

Lauren chuckled and told her, "Everything is fine mom. Bo and I just have something to talk to you about. Where's dad at?"

Lauren mother told her, "He's actually out with Mattie. The two of them are doing some work in the front yard and they needed some more mulch."

Bo leaned over and whispered in Lauren's ear, "Do you want to wait to tell them or do you want to tell your mom then have her tell your dad?"

Lauren thought about it then sighed, "We can tell her then have her tell dad."

"Tell me what Lauren?" Her mother asked.

Lauren looked at laptop then got a smile on her face. Her mother would give her the proper response that she was looking for. She began, "Mom as you know Bo and I are very involved with each other and-"

"Oh my god are you two getting married?" Her mother questioned.

Lauren took the glass of wine Bo was holding and scoffed, "I quit. I'm not telling another person. They can find out on their own. I'm done."

Bo and watched as Lauren got off of the couch then headed into the room. The door to the room slammed close and Lauren's mom asked, "Why is she so upset?"

Bo sighed then told her, "No one is responding the way she had expected. My mom wasn't surprised and Piper had guessed it before she could tell her. I tried to tell her that our relationship is a little too transparent but apparently she was still hoping out for some sort of stunned response. I don't know." Bo smiled as she said, "She was excited to tell people."

Karen got a sincere look on her face, "Oh dear. I messed that up. I should apologise."

Bo smiled at her and told her, "Don't worry about it. She'll be grumpy for a while but I'm prepared for it. But yes we are engaged and we are very excited."

Lauren's mom smiled, "We are too. Well go talk to her and make sure she's okay. I'll have her father call her and tell him that he's supposed to let her tell him because she's excited."

Bo laughed and said, "Okay. Thanks a lot Karen."

"Anytime Bo. You two have a good evening and we'll talk to you later."

Bo told her okay then when they had disconnected the call she got up and went into the room. Lauren was sitting on the bed reading a book about genetics when Bo jumped on it then rested her head on her lap and blocked her view of the book. Lauren scowled at her. Bo smirked then reached up to play with her bottom lip, "No pouting Lo-Lo we're engaged." Bo using the nickname that only Matt used along with mentioning their engagement made her crack a smile against her will. Bo reached up and tickled the underside of her chin, "Come on I know you can do better than that." Lauren smiled at her then Bo sat up and kissed her. She pulled back and said, "Your mom apologised and she's going to have your dad call later."

Bo moved her book then began to place soft kisses on her neck. Lauren tried her hardest not to give in but Bo ran the tip of her tongue up Lauren's neck then gently tugged on her earlobe with her teeth which caused her to take in a sharp breath. Bo let out a low chuckled then whispered against her ear, "Is this going to make you happy?"

Lauren smiled and said in a quiet voice, "I'm not certain. I think you should try harder."

Bo let out a low moan then she began to place a series of kisses across Lauren's collarbone. She sat up then pulled Lauren's shirt off and tossed it to the floor before she kissed Lauren's chest. Bo kissed the curve of Lauren's left breast then murmured against it, "Is this hard enough?"

Lauren felt Bo's tongue glide slowly over her breast and she smirked, "Hm. I don't know."

Bo lifted her head up and asked, "You don't know?"

Lauren grinned and told her, "Yeah."

Bo returned the grin as she moved the satin fabric of Lauren's bra to the side to expose her hard nipple. She blew gently on it and her eyes stayed locked on Lauren's lust filled ones even as she ran her tongue around the sensitive nub. Lauren bit her bottom lip and held back the moan that wanted escape her as Bo began to suck on her nipple. When Bo realised that Lauren was holding back she grinned to herself. She was going to make Lauren cave sooner rather than later. Bo gave Lauren's nipple a firm, but gentle, tug with her teeth and Lauren groaned out, "Bo…."

Bo chuckled then took her mouth off of Lauren's nipple. She grinned, "Yes Lauren?" Lauren looked at her with a look that implored her to continue but she didn't. "You called?"

Lauren surprised her when she flipped their position. She had rolled Bo over onto her back and was instantly on top of her before she captured her lips for a passion filled kiss. Bo moaned into Lauren's mouth and gave into the fact that she had started something that Lauren was hell bent on finishing.

The two them had sex for several hours before passing out from exhaustion. Lauren was woken up by her phone ringing and she wrapped her arm tighter around Bo while Bo nuzzled the spot where her head was resting between Lauren's breasts. The ringing continued and Bo mumbled, "Answer that then tell whoever it is that I will shoot them later."

Lauren kissed the top of Bo's head then whispered, "I'm not as excited about conjugal visits as you are sweetie." Lauren reached for her phone then saw that it was Matt calling her on Skype. She pressed the voice call option and said, "Matthew it's…" She glanced at her phone then put it back to her ear, "It's one o'clock in the morning."

"Oh damn I forgot about the time difference. Well you're up now."

"Barely." Lauren retorted.

He chuckled then said, "So mom said you had some big announcement you wanted to tell me and dad."

Lauren wrapped her arm around Bo then said in a quiet voice, "I know you're dumb Matt but you're not that dumb. You know what it is."

"I'm going to tell mom you're being mean if you don't stop it. And I have no idea what you're talking about." He countered.

Lauren rolled her eyes behind her close eyelids then said in an irritated tone, "I proposed to Bo. Remember?"

"Holy fucking damn Lo-Lo. Congratu-fuckin'-lations. I'm very proud of you. And I'm making the first toast." He chuckled then said, "Oh! Oh! Chicken dance! We so have to have the chicken dance."

Lauren groaned but she smiled because she knew what Matt was doing and she loved him for it. "There will be no chicken dance. "

"Over my dead body." Bo grumbled.

Lauren let out a tired chuckle then told Matt, "And Bo definitely doesn't want the chicken dance." She groaned then told him, "Okay good night Matt and don't call me again until it is a reasonable hour."

"Goodnight Lo-Lo and congratulations." He said while laughing.

The call disconnected then after she put her phone back on the nightstand she cuddled up to Bo who asked, "Is that the response you were looking for?"

Lauren chuckled and told her, "Most definitely." She was quite for a moment then she said, "We might name our daughter after him."

Bo let out a tired laugh then kissed her shoulder before saying, "No we won't."  
"Yes we will." Lauren said as she began to laugh. Bo gently bit her neck and Lauren let out a soft moan, "Do it again and we will not be going back to sleep."

Bo bit her neck again and Lauren rolled them to where she was on top of Bo. She gave her a deep kiss then raised Bo's arms to where she was holding them above her head before placing a soft kiss on her neck and whispering, "Keep them up there Bo."

Lauren grinned as Bo obeyed her command then she moved down her body so they could continue the love making that sleep had interrupted hours ago.


End file.
